#had an oliver teach moment and it will happen again

[bizlybebo]

i have such a good post that im scheduling for tomorrow because dash is honk-shooing but also because i've already jrwi posted so much today

[bloodibambiidoll]

Being Weird Is Cool

(SingleDad!Eddie Munson x SingleMom!Reader)

Summary: You and your son are new to Hawkins and meet Eddie and his daughter at the park. WK: 1.7K

Warnings: None really, this is just a fluffy sweet little self indulgent meet cute. Eddie and Reader are in their mid 20s and their kids are around 5 going into Kindergarten. Modern AU. Reader is implied to be alternative but it doesn’t have to be read that way.🩵 But as always, my blog is still 18+

A/N: So this is just a cute little blurb that came to me. I always see single dad Eddie but I hardly ever see single mom reader so I thought this would be cuteee. My son has a speech condition and I never see kids with special needs in fics so this is just something small n cute n close to my heart. Maybe I’ll turn it into a series of blurbs about these four, we will see. If anyone has any ideas/requests for these four I’d totally be open to writing them. 🤭🖤Part 2 - My Masterlist - Series Masterlist

“Excuse me, is that your child?”

You looked up from your phone, hearing the voice of an irritated sounding woman, ready to defend your son at a moment's notice. But when you looked up she wasn’t talking to you, she was standing in front of the man who was sitting on the bench next to yours. A scowl on her face, her hands on her hips, and a pudgy little boy with tears in his eyes and chocolate smudged all over him by her side. She tilted her head towards the little girl across the playground that had been playing with your son since you got here. She was very clearly this man’s daughter by the way the unruly brown curls on their heads matched. She was sitting on the ground next to your son with her hand on his shoulder, seemingly comforting him.

“Yeah, she’s mine. What’s up?” The man sounded annoyed, rightfully so.

“Well, she just made my son cry.” The woman scoffed.

He raised an eyebrow at her, looking at your kids then back at her.

“What happened?”

“Apparently she yelled in his face and pushed him over, you really need to teach your daughter how to behave.” The woman’s dirty blonde ponytail that was so tight it looked like it was going to make her eyes bulge he out of her head waved from side to side as she spoke.

“Charlotte! Can you come over here please?” The man called to his daughter, waving her over.

You watched as she stood, dusting wood chips off her black white colored dress before reaching her hand out to your son. She pulled him behind her as she walked over with a determined look on her face.

“Daddy! That little boy was mean to my friend! He told him he was weird and was mocking fun of his voice!” She stomped a little black booted foot and pointed her finger towards the boy in question.

“Charlotte… honey, did you push him over?” He asked her as he stood to his feet, crouching down so he was eye level with her.

At this point you had fully turned your body in their direction, ready to intervene.

“Oli, are you okay baby?” You asked him gently.

“Mommy!!!” He ran over to you and wrapped his arms around your legs, burying his face into your knees.

“What happened honey?” You ran your fingers through his hair and he buried his face further into you. You look over at the man beside you, who looks at you apologetically before turning back to his daughter.

“Char… did you push that boy over there?”

“Yes! But-“

“Hey, no buts, okay? We don’t push people no matter what they do, it's not okay to push.” He told her and he gently rested a large ringed hand on her little shoulder.

“Okay daddy…” she looked down at her little feet with her hands behind her back, bashful.

“Now, do you want to tell me what happened? Calmly.” He titled his head so she was looking him in the eyes again and she pouted. “Come on baby, we can’t fix it if we don’t know.”

“Her PUSHED me! I was just trying play with them and she yelled and pushed!” The little boy spoke up, pointing at her from behind his moms legs.

“No! No! Mean!” Your son, Oliver, who was normally very soft spoken and shy raised his head from your knees to yell at the other boy.

“Okay whoa whoa whoa, let’s everybody calm down.” You looked down at Oli and smiled, rubbing soft circles on his back to try and keep him calm.

“Hey sweetie, your name is Charlotte, right?” You asked her.

“Mhm” She stuck her bottom lip out and nodded.

“Can you tell us what happened please?”

“Yes! That kid!” She pointed and glared at the chocolate covered boy “was being mean to MY new friend! He was mocking fun of his voice and calling him weird! But that’s just not nice!”

It didn’t take you long to figure out what she meant, Oliver was a late talker and very shy. He didn’t talk much and when he did it was only to people he was comfortable with. This wasn’t the first and probably wouldn’t be the last time this happened. Most parents didn’t take the time to teach their kids that everyone is different so you’ve had to take it upon yourself to explain it to them on more than one occasion.

“So that other little boy was being mean to Oli about his voice and you stood up for him, right?”

“Yes! I didn’t want him to play with us and he wouldn’t go away and kept mocking fun of him! so I told him my dad said being weird is cool and I MADE him go away!” She was still stomping her little foot and pointing her little finger at the kid and you had to hold in a laugh at how cute she was.

“Well thank you for standing up for him honey, that’s very sweet of you. But I don’t think your daddy wants you to push people even if they’re mean, right?” You look over to her dad and make eye contact, silently asking for backup.

“Yeah baby, it’s very nice of you to stand up for your friend but I want you to apologize to that little boy for pushing him over, okay?” He put his hand on her back and tilted his head toward the boy and his mother.

“Well is him gonna say sorry? To my friend?” She narrowed her eyes at her father and looked between him and the other child.

“He has nothing to say sorry for! You pushed him! And maybe his mother needs to teach him how to communicate better!” She definitely should not have fucking said that.

“Fucking excuse me???” You stood up and walked past Oliver and straight up to the woman’s pinched face. “We were trying to do the right thing and teach our kids that hitting is never okay but if you want to play it like that?? Okay. How about you teach your son how to treat people? That everyone’s different and it’s not okay to just talk down to people because you don’t understand them? How about you wipe his fucking face and get the fuck out of mine before I show them that maybe hitting isn’t so bad after all.” You practically growled, your eyes boring into hers.

“You people are fucking insane, who let people like you even have children??” She gasped before turning on her heel and leaving the park, dragging her son behind her.

“Fucking bitch.” You scoffed, turning to Oliver and crouching down in front of him. “You okay baby?”

“Yeah mama, okay.” He smiled at you and gave you a thumbs up.

“That was fucking awesome.” The man next to you chuckled and slapped his thigh. “Her face!! She couldn’t even believe you were talking to her like that!!” He laughed.

You looked over at him and smiled, this was the first time you were really looking at him and wow. He was beautiful. You had already noticed his hair but now that you’re looking directly at him you can see his pretty brown eyes, and plush pink lips. When he smiles you see two cute little dimples appear on each side of his mouth and he’s dressed really cute too. Ripped jeans, old band tee, beat up sneakers and a leather jacket. Damn.

“I promise you that is not the first time I’ve dealt with a woman like that and I’m positive it will not be the last.” You chuckled.

“Well you handled it like a goddess, if I was a woman I might’ve punched her.”

“Well I absolutely wanted to.” You both started busting up laughing.

“I’m Eddie, by the way, and you already met Charlotte.” He smiled at you and extended his hand, you took it and told him your name in return.

“And this is Oliver, who you already kinda sorta not really met.” You gestured to your son and Charlotte came bounding over.

“Oli! You want play with me still?” She smiled big at him.

“Yep! Mhm!” He clapped.

“Gotta catch meeeee then!!!!” She ran off towards the playground and he went chasing after her.

“You’re a good dad, not a lot of kids take the time to understand that other kids are different, just because they aren’t taught that at home. You clearly teach her well.” You said with a smile.

“Yeah, I try to teach her that everyone’s different. I mean look at me, it’s not like I had the easiest time growing up, or even now other parents judge me and look down on me for being a single dad and well, just being me. I never want her to feel like that.” He watched his daughter run after your son with a fond smile.

“Yeah” You looked down at your own ripped jean shorts and tights and smiled. “Yeah, I think I get that.”

“Are you guys new in town? I haven’t seen you around and I think I’ve seen everyone in this town at least once”

“Oh, yeah, me and him just moved here last week so we don’t really know anyone yet. I’m hoping once the kids start school next month he will have a bit of an easier time making friends.” You sighed. “He’s just really shy, he has a hard time talking and he gets really nervous.”

“Well, it looks like he already has one friend.” He smiled at you and pointed towards the playground where Oli was pushing Charlotte on the swing.

“Looks like it.” You looked over at Eddie and smiled.

“And that goes for you too, you know? You have one friend now too, if you want.” He smiled at you hopefully, those cute dimples showing.

“Yeah? I think I’d like that.” You felt your face warm when you smiled back at him.

“We were going to get ice cream after this, do you guys want to come? It’s just down the street we usually walk from here.”

“That actually sounds really nice Eddie, thank you.”

“KIDS!!! Ice cream!!?!!” He yelled the magic words and huge grins spread across both their faces as they came running full speed towards you.

Maybe Hawkins wouldn’t be so bad.

[lupinsversion]

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧 - 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

• summary: when student reader falls for her professor and he calls her out on it.

• contains: remus lupin x rem reader, teacher x student, consenting adults, fluff

• word count: 2.1k

masterlist || requests

It wasn’t everyday that you find yourself getting the hots for a professor. Especially not in a place like Hogwarts, where the professors were beyond greying or have a stupid crooked nose with greasy hair. So it came to a shock to the Gryffindor girl when she sat in her first defense against the dark arts lesson of the year. She found herself staring off, practically drooling in a daydream as she stared off at Professor R.J Lupin.

To be honest, she couldn’t even tell you what he was speaking to the seventh years about, she was too far in her own head. But he definitely looked good as he gestured with his hands and spoke in such a beautiful voice.

Professor Lupin was, for the most part, a relatively quiet and reserved person. He leaned against his desk, scanning the class with a small, closed-lipped smile. He was, for the lack of a better word, hot which was a rare feat. His sandy hair fell in gentle waves around his face, cut to a length that looked soft yet messy. His olive-toned skin was dotted with faint freckles and a few scattering scars.

She was locked in the first moment her eyes laid upon him, which was surprising for her. In all of her seven years at that school, she was never one to have a ‘crush’ on someone. All the boys around her were either rude or too obnoxious for her liking. But him? The professor? It may have been a first time for her.

It also wasn’t usual for Remus to walk up and down the aisles of the class. Usually he sat at his desk, keeping a bit of distance whilst he taught. But on this occasion, he felt the need to stretch his legs. He made his way down the rows of desks, nodding to the students who glanced up at him as he passed. With some time, he neared the row at which she sat on the edge of. His steps stopped as he looked down at her, noticing her staring for the first time.

Her face heated up immediately once she realized she had been caught in the act. But yet, her eyes could not tear themselves away from his handsome face.

He didn’t say anything for a good few moments, taking that time to silently regard the situation. She was pretty; round face, a smattering of freckles across her slightly pale cheeks. Her lips were slightly parted as if she were about to speak, but she said nothing. “Are you paying attention?” He called her out on her actions, the corner of his lips threatening to turn upwards.

“Yes, sir.” She answered without hesitation, but it was far from the truth. She silently prayed to whatever high figure there was that he wouldn’t question her further.

His deep eyes searched her flushed face for a few beats, her gaze remaining locked with his. He chuckled softly. “Forgive me for doubting you.” He spoke lightly, his tone casual and smooth. “But I think you might have been a bit distracted. Am I wrong?”

“Maybe just a tad bit distracted.” She admitted as her cheeks flushed further. “It won’t happen again.” She tried to assure. But it was far from the truth.

He continued to notice her staring at him over the course of the next few weeks. He often caught her watching him in class or elsewhere within the castle, her eyes lingering on his figure longer than would have been seen as casual. He’d even caught her staring at him from her house table during meals. It amused him to no end and he wondered if she even realized what she was doing each time. He knew he should tell her to be desist, but there was something about her attention that he found rather endearing.

Days passed one after another and he had to admit he was rather enjoying the way she kept unabashedly stared at him. But at times, he also tried to avoid looking at her in class, knowing that if he caught her eye, it would be difficult to focus, so he often remained teaching from the front of the class.

And over the course of a few days he managed to keep his gaze from landing on her, but he was also itching inside to just take a quick peek. It was hard to explain but he found himself wanting to see her reactions. Sometimes as of lately, he would forget that they were in fact a professor and a student. The way she watched him made him almost feel… flattered.

On a particularly dull Monday, he couldn’t help himself any longer as he looked in her direction. His eyes scanned the classroom until they locked with hers.

But unlike the other times, this time her lips softly curled up into the softest smile as her chin rested in the palm of her hand. Maybe she was getting bold, but she couldn’t help the little flutter her stomach would give when their eyes met.

A thrill went through his body as he watched the small smile form on her face. He should’ve looked away immediately, but he couldn’t. He held her gaze, the corners of his own mouth curving slightly in a smile of his own.

He found himself unable to break eye contact with her, even after he had finished the lesson and watched the rest of the class pack up and leave. He walked over slowly towards her desk, only stopping to stand in front of it. He spoke, a light lilt to his voice. “A word if you please.”

She looked up from where she was packing her books into her bag. “Of course.” She spoke kindly.

Once the rest of the class had filled out into the corridor, he closed the classroom door and turned back to face her. He folded his arms once he leaned against the desk that sat in front of her own and regarded her for a few moments. His lips curved into a small smile. “I noticed you staring at me again.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, muttering a quiet curse under her breath as she tried to calm her nerves. It was only when she looked up at him again that she spoke. “I apologize, professor. This usually isn’t like me.”

He chuckled softly as he watched her small reaction to his words. Seeing her nervous and on edge sent a small twinge of excitement through him. “It’s alright.” He said, his voice softer than usual. “I just thought that if you’re going to be staring at me so often, the least I could do is find out why.”

“Straight to the point, I see.” She paused to take a calming breath. “I’m not sure I exactly have a reason as to why.”

He chuckled again softly, his eyes flickering over her flushed face. He could see the nervous energy in her expression, but the admission that she wasn’t sure why she was staring at him only served to make things more interesting. “No reason at all?” He asked lightly, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“I apologize again. I’ll try to control my wandering eye from now on.” She answered as calmly as she could, but her heart was racing inside of her chest.

Remus could see the tension in her body despite her outwardly calm demeanor. The way she was shifting slightly, the way her heart fluttered like a bird in her chest. He leaned forward, resting his hands on the edge of her desk as he stared at her. “It’s strange.” He commented, his voice dropping to a murmur. “You seem like a well-behaved student. But here you are, openly staring at your teacher like he’s a piece of candy you want to eat.”

She opened her mouth to speak but she instantly closed it again. She then silently cursed herself yet again for outwardly looking like a fish. But he rendered her speechless, absolutely speechless.

He chuckled at her reaction. He could see the words on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t seem to say them, and he found it utterly delightful. “No words?” He teased, a smirk curving at his lips. “For a student who spent so long watching me, I’d assumed you would have more to say than that.”

“Again, it’s not usually like me. I’ll be more careful in what I do from this moment forward.” She answered after a moment of silence.

He tilted his head as he watched her, a mixture of amusement and something else in his gaze. He wasn’t buying her words, he knew there was more to why she was staring at him, but he was enjoying the coy act. “Careful?” He echoed, arching a brow. “That’s no fun. And I can’t say I believe you either.”

Her brows furrowed together slightly in a small hint of confusion. “I’m sorry, sir?”

He tilted his head to the other side, studying her. “I don’t believe you when you say you’ll stop staring.” He explained, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “In fact, I think I know exactly why you were looking at me so intently.”

She blinked. And then blinked again. “And what would that be?”

He pushed himself a bit closer and then moved to walk behind him. He paused only a few inches from her back before leaning down beside her to murmur in her ear. “You’d like to know what I taste like, wouldn’t you, Miss Y/L/N?”

Her breath hitched in her throat and she almost choked on her own saliva in shock. “I… Sir-“

He chuckled darkly as he watched her reaction with a close eye. He leaned down closer, his breath fanning against the skin of her neck. “You’ve been staring at me all this time, so don’t try to deny it.” He whispered, his voice low and playful. “You’ve been thinking about what my lips taste like, haven’t you?”

“I uh…” She tried to speak but she couldn’t find the words. But eventually, she nodded.

Remus smiled, satisfied with her response. He liked seeing her so flustered, her mind seemingly unable to come up with words as she confessed what she wanted. “There now.” He said, his voice dropping even lower. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He slowly made his way around her, stopping in front of her.

“This is highly inappropriate.” She commented, trying to hold on to any sanity she had left.

He chuckled, his eyes glittering with mischief. “Yes, it is.” He agreed, his tone casual. “But you weren’t too concerned about that when you were staring at me during class, were you?”

She opened her mouth to protest but all that came out was, “I guess you’re right.”

He smirked, enjoying the way she seemed so flustered and conflicted. He got a bit closer, stopping when he was just a few inches away from her. He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lightly skimming her cheek. “You’ve been quite the distraction, you know?” He murmured. “With your pretty face and big eyes watching me constantly.”

She let her eyes study him from up close, taking in every detail that made him, him. And she only found him more attractive.

He met her gaze, amused by the way her gaze seemed to roam over his face. He could see the attraction in her eyes, the desire that made her breath hitched and her heart flutter. He reached out without thinking, gently gripping her chin and tilting her face upwards. “You’re very good at staring, you know.” He teased, his thumb idly tracing her jawline.

Her brows furrowed in thought for a moment before she spoke. “If I were to ask you to kiss me, how would you react?”

He was slightly taken off guard by her bold question, but he quickly found himself smiling. He ran his tongue along his bottom lip as he studied her, his fingers still lightly holding her chin. “Mmm.” He hummed quietly. “How would I react?” He repeated, his expression almost contemplative. “I think you know the answer to that.”

“Maybe, but I would still like to hear it.” She whispered.

His grip on her chin tightened ever so slightly, his eyes darkening. “If you asked me to kiss you…” He whispered, his voice low. “I’d do it without hesitation.”

“Then kiss me.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He leaned down, closing the distance between them and captured her lips with his.

© lupinsversion 2024

[insomnisnack]

A soft moment between Danny and Jason

Brows furrowed, he titled his head and blinked, “You...aren’t just going to kick me out?”

It was Jason’s turn to blink, surprised by the question. “No?”

“Why are you being so nice?” He demanded, suspicious again.

The older man sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, “Because you look like you need it?”

Jason could see Danny’s metaphorical hackles raise at his words, “I don’t need pity, I’m not some community service project.”

“Woah, hey! That’s not fucking it kid, damn. I’m the last fucking person that’s gonna pity you for fucks sake. Look, I get it, whatever has happened to you fucked you up.” Danny was beginning to panic again, eyes darting to the window, looking for an escape. “It’s obvious to someone like me kid and I don’t need to know details to see it, I’ve lived through my own fucked up shit.”

The olive toned teen stayed quiet, unmoving, just watching and Jason sighed. “I’m not keeping you here Danny, you can leave whenever you want, the door's unlocked. But if you want food, I'm making pancakes, I've been told they’re they best.”

With that the tall, broad man got up slowly and walked to the kitchen.

He wanted to leave, to go to his apartment and make sure everything was still in its place, he wanted to stay because this place was warm and felt like comfort.

Not the kind of warmth from a thermostat, though it was plenty of that, but the kind of warmth he felt when his sister made hot cocoa and they sat outside looking at the stars.

The kind of warmth when Sam and Tucker came over and they ended up in a too clingy puddle of limbs in a pile of blankets after falling asleep watching movies.

And it was that kind of warmth that had him getting up and wandering into the kitchen asking if he could help.

Jason gave him a half smile that reached all the way to his eyes and told him to grab some blueberries out of the fridge.

They worked in silence for the most part, Jason giving instructions or Danny asking questions, but it was nice; it felt homey in a way he had never had no matter how hard Jazz had tried.

When they sat down, Danny couldn’t help but exclaim after his first bite, “I never thought to put anything in pancakes! Fruit! Who knew?”

Jason stared at him like he had two heads, “You didn’t- How-” he paused and cleared his throat, “Yeah kid, anything you want, my Dickhead of an older brother like bits of bacon even.”

Danny for his part stared back with stars in his eyes at all the things he wanted to try now, he wondered if Jason would teach him to make other food.

The soft smile never left his face the rest of the meal, Jason put more pancakes on his plate, and he ate until he was stuffed.

[anonymousewrites]

Adolescent Antichrist (Book 5) Chapter Fourteen

Father Figure! Lucifer Morningstar x Teen! Reader

Demon! OC x Reader

Chapter Fourteen: Don't Touch Them

Summary: Prom is equally bad for the rest of (Y/N)'s friendgroup, and it's about to get worse.

A little bit ago…

            “P-P-Poker face, p-p-poker face!” sang Marcel, attempting (badly) to vogue.

            “Marcel, I would suggest you practice more,” said Leon, not unkindly.

            Marcel sighed. “I probably should,” he admitted, but he grinned. “But it’s fun.”

            “At least you’re having a good time,” said Noa, laughing. “I’ll teach you some better dance moves some other time.”

            “Oh, thank god, I need to get better,” said Marcel.

            “I could teach you ballet! The movement will help loosen you up,” said Olive.

            “You should wear a tutu while you learn, Marcel,” snickered Noa.

            “Just so you can make fun of me?” laughed Marcel.

            “I think you would look nice,” said Leon.

            “You have to say that, you’re my boyfriend,” said Marcel.

            “But it’s the truth,” said Leon, frowning in confusion.

            “It’s adorable how supportive you are,” said Noa.

            “Very romantic,” said Olive, smiling.

            Leon again just blinked. He was just being truthful, and they didn’t dress up what they said. But, seeing as his friends were happy, they smiled.

            “Oh, hey, we’ve got a new song,” said Noa. “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa began to play. “A good one! Yes!”

            “Remember when Em lost a bet to (Y/N) and had to learn the entire routine?” said Olive.

            “We should get them to perform it now,” said Leon, smiling slightly.

            “They’d hate that,” said Marcel. He grinned. “It’s a great idea.”

            “But where did they go?” asked Olive, looking around.

            “What do you mean?” said Marcel.

            “I don’t see them anywhere on the dance floor or at the sides of the room,” said Olive, frowning.

            “I think they went off for a moment alone,” said Noa.

            “How romantic,” laughed Olive.

            “I think (Y/N) was a bit overstimulated,” said Leon.

            “Ah, understandable,” nodded Noa.

            “They’ve been gone for a while, though,” said Marcel. “Do you think (Y/N)’s alright?”

            “If you’re concerned, we could check on them and see if they need food or water,” said Leon, touching Marcel’s hand.

            Noa nodded. “Good idea.”

            “They probably went into the halls,” said Olive. “Let’s go.” She led the way into the corridor.

            Bang!

            The moment they stepped into hall, though, they froze. Something curled in them painfully, and they gasped. Leon, Marcel, Olive, and Noa gasped as pain thrummed through them, and they felt the entire world tilt.

            “What the hell was that?” gasped Noa, holding themself up on the wall.

            “Something’s wrong…Something’s really wrong,” said Marcel, holding his chest.

            “I heard a shot,” said Leon, taking deep breaths. They looked around. “There’s danger.”

            “And if something magic is happening…then (Y/N) is in danger,” said Olive decidedly. She straightened, feeling some sort of strength course through her. Still, the world felt fragile.

            “And that means Em is,” agreed Noa worriedly.

            “What should we do?” asked Marcel, brow creasing in fear.

            “If something magical is going on, we should get people to safety,” said Leon. “And we should get help.” He nodded to Olive. “Pull the fire alarm. That should get everyone out. I’ll call Mr. Morningstar—I got his number for just this reason.”

            “At least someone is prepared,” said Marcel, half-heartedly trying to cheer himself up by knowing that they had some sort of plan, even if it was basically nothing.

            “Once I pull the alarm, we’ll need to hide to find Em and (Y/N),” said Olive.

            “Shouldn’t we leave?” said Noa. “I mean, we could get hurt…”

            “Do you feel weak?” said Leon.

            “No,” said Noa firmly. Whatever the sudden change within them had been, they didn’t feel weakened. No, they felt alive—or, if not alive, strong.

            “Do you want to leave (Y/N) and Em here if something is happening?” asked Leon.

            “No,” said Noa. “I just don’t want any of you getting hurt.”

            “And they wouldn’t want us to get hurt, either,” agreed Leon. “But we also can’t leave them behind. We all know it. We all just don’t want the others getting hurt.”

            “Then we stick together,” said Olive. “No matter what. If we have to fight, then we fight.”

            “We’re in this together,” agreed Marcel. He put his hand out.

            “Together,” said Olive, smiling and putting his hand on top of theirs.

            “Together,” said Leon, adding his hand.

            “Together,” said Noa, adding their hand.

            The four were united to help their friends.

            “Let’s start the drama,” said Olive, moving to the fire alarm. “Ready?”

            Leon clicked on Lucifer’s contact and started the call. “Ready.”

            Olive pulled the fire alarm.

            Eeh! Eh!

            The jarring sound of the alarm blared out through the room, and Marcel winced at the abrupt sound.

            “That ought to do it!” shouted Noa over the alarm as they moved further into the halls before anyone caught them.

            Leon’s call went through, and Lucifer picked up.

            “Leon? This is a surprise,” said Lucifer. “Is everything alright?” He was instantly on edge since, ordinarily, (Y/N) would call him if they needed something. If Leon was calling, it meant that (Y/N) was possibly unable to, like if they were having a bad panic attack.

            “Something’s wrong,” said Leon. “We don’t know what, but it feels supernatural. We think (Y/N) is hurt.”

            “I’m coming,” said Lucifer, voice grave and serious.

            “Please try to make sure no one comes into the building. It could be dangerous,” said Leon.

            Lucifer instantly hung up, and Leon nodded to the others to confirm he had gotten the message.

            “He’s coming,” they confirmed.

            “Then we need to go after Em and (Y/N),” said Noa, moving forward through the hall.

            “Make sure to stick together,” warned Olive quietly. The sound of the fire alarm was still blaring, which disguised their footsteps, but it was still frightening to move forward through the flashing lights.

            “Stop,” said Marcel. He gestured to the ground. “That’s blood.”

            “Could it be Em or (Y/N)’s?” said Noa worriedly. “We heard a shot.”

            “We need to make sure they’re alright,” said Leon firmly, taking another step forward.

            They rounded the next corner, and they were forced to stop in shock. The entire hall was covered in shadows that seemed to be breaking apart the very fabric of reality. Bits of the walls fell away into black nothingness, and the shadows crawled in cracks farther through the hall. It inched towards the groups, emanating from a single room at the end of the hall.

            “(Y/N)…” breathed Olive. Quickly, she moved forward, even if the shadows swarmed the hall.

            Luckily, even as the walls and floor fell away in spots to voids, the group could move forward, and they managed to get to the room.

            On the floor lay Em, bleeding, and (Y/N) was holding them tightly, covered in darkness.

            “(Y/N)!” called Noa, stepping into the room.

            In an instant, (M/N) lunged for them, and Noa lurched back in shock. Olive pulled Noa back and dodged (M/N).

            “Fuck, why are there other brats here?!” cursed (F/N), glaring at them.

            “This wasn’t part of the plan,” growled (M/N).

            “Let (Y/N) and Emeranne go!” shouted Marcel, trying to move forward, but Leon grabbed him upon seeing (M/N)’s gun and (F/N)’s knife.

            “Oh, great, it’s backup for the bitch,” spat (F/N).

            “I can get rid of a few more,” said (M/N), raising her gun to point at the others.

            Leon flinched back, and Marcel’s heart stopped. Noa gasped, and Olive tried to pull Leon back, all while (M/N) pulled back the trigger.

            “Don’t touch them.”

            Everyone froze. Heads turning, hesitating at the tone, they faced (Y/N). Their words were like liquid hatred, ominous and telling of all that they could cause should they be disobeyed. Shadows covered their body, and lines of black crawled up their arms and neck like cracked porcelain. Their wings were extended, scarlet dripping with shadow that obscured every bit of gold. And amidst the shadows of their voice and powers, their eyes shone blood red, piercing into the hearts of everyone watching.

            “Wh-What the—” (F/N) had to avert his eyes and take a step back at the inhumane appearance of (Y/N).

            “Monster!” cried (M/N), pulling the trigger.

            Bang! Bang! Bang!

            Shadows swarmed up from the ground, and (Y/N) pulled their wings around them tightly. Their friends cried out and watched in shock as the bullets hit.

            And fell to the ground, useless.

            (F/N) and (M/N) stared in shock and terror as (Y/N) pulled their wings back to gaze at them again. Their eyes didn’t see anyone they knew, they saw only enemies.

            “I said don’t touch them.”

            The shadows swarmed towards (F/N) and (M/N), and they were thrown back against a wall.

            Leon, Marcel, Olive, and Noa knew what they were seeing—the Celestial (Y/N). This was (Y/N) pushed to the brink, unable to hold back any bits of them that were inhumane, divine, and losing themself in anger.

            And around them, just as their mind unraveled in fury, the world broke apart.

            “Well, I can’t say I expected it to look like this,” said a southern accent. In gleaming white clothes and with grey wings extended, Michael stood with a grin in the doorway. “But bravo, brat, you’re capable of so much destruction.”

            “Michael,” snapped Olive, balling her hands into fists. Anger coursed through her, and she felt like punching someone.

            Michael raised a brow as he looked at the four teenagers standing in the room while (F/N) and (M/N) stared at the breaking world in fear. The teenagers weren’t flinching. No, they seemed only concerned about their friends, not about him or anything else.

            “Ah,” he said, smiling widely. “The Four Horsemen. Come to see the Apocalypse?”

            Leon, Marcel, Olive, and Noa looked at each other in confusion. Each froze in the process of trying to get towards Em and (Y/N) to help them.

            “What?” said Leon, sharp words getting to the point.

            “Let me see…” Michael drawled as he looked at the four. His eyes lighted on Marcel. “Pestilence, judging by the way you’re trying to make your move without being noticed.” Next, he looked at Olive. “War, judging by that fighting spirit.” He moved onto Leon. “Famine, judging by your lack of overindulgence in words.” He finished by looking at Noa. “And Death, judging by your clear worry for how the little demon is doing.”

            The teenagers were shaken by what Michael had said—it was a shock, of course—but they refused to let him disturb their desire to help their friends.

            “Stop with the talking,” said Olive harshly. “Whatever you’re doing, stop it. We won’t let you hurt (Y/N) and Em.”

            “But I already have,” said Michael, grinning. “I’ve won.”

            “You haven’t won shit,” said Marcel, narrowing his eyes. “Whatever you’ve done to make (Y/N) like this, we’ll reverse it. And we’ll help Em.”

            Upon hearing their name once more, (Y/N) held Em closer. Em was barely conscious, eyes closed as she tried to stay with them.

            “You can’t stop the Antichrist,” said Michael, scoffing. “They’re the harbinger of the Apocalypse. This is what they were made for.” He waved his hands around to the world unraveling. “They were made to destroy the world and themself with it like the evil being they are.” He grinned. “And then Lucifer loses.”

            “No,” said Leon, stepping forward. “He’ll stop you. We’ll stop you.” Their gaze was hard and serious. “It’s like you said. We’re the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. We’re (Y/N)’s friends. We won’t give up on them and Emeranne.”

            “And if we’re also not human, then we can fight you. And we will,” said Noa firmly.

            Michael scoffed and tossed the light to the side. It hit the shadows near (F/N) and (M/N), and they were freed. It was the adults versus the teenagers—it was the “righteous good” versus the harbingers of the Apocalypse.

            “Then let the End Times begin,” said Michael, drawing a sword. He was going to destroy what Lucifer loved. He lunged.

            (Y/N)’s scarlet eyes narrowed, mind wild with hatred. They were going to end anyone who tried to hurt who they loved.

            The world be damned. They’d let it burn.

            They’d let it burn.

            Burn, burn, burn…

            Darkness swallowed (Y/N) whole.

Taglist:

@sammyscreencaps-13

@grippleback-galaxy-galaxy

@scarlettqueen190

@ziro-the-null-god

@sammy-13

@zeros-rot

@ceridwyn3

@technikerin23

@poetoflawed

@slytherinroyalty16

@ilse235

@theurbannoodle

@lookitseddie

@amberforest08

[t3a-tan]

Hey, I'm literally in love with your stories !

Could we get another part of James finding a borrower pleaseeee ?

(Take your time, we'll wait)

Because you asked so nicely...

---

Oliver returned five days later and James was dreading it. After how poorly he had handled finding that little kid earlier in the week he hadn't seen a single sign of them since they retrieved their little needle.

He tried being very quiet, he tried leaving out sweets, he even tried talking— but there was never any sign of the kid coming out. James feared they may have left his house entirely and risked being outside alone.

Am I really that scary?

James knew that ultimately he needed to fess up to Oliver about what had happened. If there was a lost kid roaming around the giant dangerous world out there, he needed to be aware so he could do a search.

James had tried searching by himself for the past couple of nights, checking nearby bushes and peering into tree holes— looking for tiny footprints in the mud. He couldn't find anything. He could barely sleep knowing that he might have put the life of a child in danger.

God, what if they're dead already..?

James sat at his dining table with a large mug of coffee, tapping his leg up and down nervously and staring at the window ahead as he waited for Oliver to turn up. The borrower generally arrived in the early morning after all. As he waited he played the conversation out in his head, trying to figure out how to word it best whilst also knowing he would immediately forget anything he decided.

Soon enough he saw a buzzard fly up to the windowsill and not long after Oliver stepped through the open window, waving at James, a slight smile gracing his expression.

"Hello there. Have you been well, my friend?" He greeted politely as James stood and walked over.

"I…wouldn't say well."

At this point it was second nature that when he saw Oliver on a high up surface he would offer his hand and carry him to wherever they would be sitting together.

This time though, when he actually looked at his hand next to Oliver, he couldn't help his fingers twitching away at the man's touch. James was nervous, his heart hammering in his chest as he remembered just five days before… how awfully holding another borrower had gone.

Oliver looked confused, face turning up as his emerald gaze met James's chocolate brown.

"You wouldn't..? Did something happen?" He asked. Recognizing that James was hesitant to touch him at the moment, Oliver simply got out his hook and thread, doing it the borrower way instead. James walked back over to his seat, sitting down with a sigh.

"There was another borrower…" He began, though just as soon as he had he trailed off. Oliver turned to look over his shoulder up at the human just as he finished his descent.

"Oh?" The borrower prompted him to continue, and so James looked away, seemingly conflicted. It took him a few moments to collect himself enough to explain the situation. He decided to wait until Oliver was on the table, which didn't take long. Once he was, James began speaking again, clearing his throat.

"Well, ah… They were…they were a kid. Ten years old. I reckon they were lost or something… I ended up scaring them pretty bad and they escaped." He explained— though it was a pretty simplistic summary of what had transpired.

James looked down at Oliver, bristling as he took in the stern expression on his face, his little arms folded over his chest. Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"Escaped? That term implies you had them captured, James." He pointed out, his tone taking on a serious edge. James averted his gaze.

"I didn't realise how scared they would be…" He spoke sadly. For such a small man, Oliver could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be— but after hearing James's genuinely remorseful words he knew his friend had not meant to cause any harm.

Oliver blamed himself a little for not properly teaching James how to deal with this situation. He hadn't expected it to happen whilst he was away for a while.

He let out a small sigh before walking forward, gently patting the giant hand that was resting on the edge of the table. At first James flinched but he kept his hand where it was, seeming surprised by Oliver's reaction.

"I'm sure you didn't intend to scare them. With any luck they may still be within these walls, but if not I will leave and search the area. Although I'd like a more detailed recollection of events, that can wait until after I have ensured the safety of the child you previously found." He explained.

James nodded. He couldn't exactly tell Oliver not to do that— nor did he want to stop him. He felt horribly guilty over his actions towards that tiny little kid, and he hoped that they were okay. The most he was hoping for right now was that they were alive.

…

Oliver searched the walls and was relieved to find that the child was still there. Clearly suffering from a lack of food and water, but they were alive and within reach— though asleep at the moment. He crouched down beside their little makeshift nest, brows furrowed in sympathy for the kid.

They had clearly been too scared to leave the walls at all… he wasn't surprised. If they were ten like James said (and they did look it) they probably knew very little about surviving on their own. Oliver reached forwards, very gently shaking them to try to wake them up.

The kid stirred slowly, shifting about amidst the nest before stretching, eyes blinking blearily within the dark tunnel they had set up in.

"Mum…?" They murmured sleepily. Oliver's expression softened, moving his hand away and giving them plenty of personal space.

"Are you quite alright..?" He asked, lowering his voice so it was just above a whisper. Despite his efforts to avoid it, the child was still startled by his presence, squeaking and sitting up quickly, eyes wide.

Oliver held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"It's okay, little one… Are you lost?" He spoke gently, not making any sudden movements. He may be a fellow borrower, but a kid who had been separated from their parents and had probably been terrified for the past week after an encounter with a human would probably be more jumpy than usual.

The kid relaxed slightly after the initial surprise wore off, recognizing that Oliver was not a threat. They nodded slightly. Oliver tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, trying to encourage the boy to elaborate further.

"How did you end up here, may I ask? If I can figure out where you came from I can return you back home." He assured. Hopefully this situation would resolve itself with relative ease— but Oliver would do whatever he could to make sure this child was safe and back with their family.

"I-I got stuck in a human's bag… An old lady— s-she lives next door. She had a cat though so I came here…" The kids trailed off at the end before they quickly looked back at Oliver with wide fearful eyes, remembering something. "B-but then the human in this house caught me..! He was terrifying! I-I'm sorry if you live here… now I ruined everything for you..."

Oliver sighed sadly. James must have done something to inspire so much fear in this child. He hoped he hadn't been so thoughtless as to physically trap them— he had faith that James wouldn't have gone that far. He shook his head.

"No no. It's perfectly fine— I know the human outside is harmless, so this won't affect my living situation whatsoever." He reassured, getting a confused and alarmed look from the little kid in turn. Oliver offered a gentle smile. "My name is Oliver Oakwood, by the way."

If the previous statement hadn't grabbed the child's attention, this one did. They perked up, recognizing his name.

"Oliver Oakwood? My dad told me about you— you helped him get home last winter..!" The child chirped, happy to know that this borrower was one he could trust. There was a pause. "H-he said you're a bit weird too… Is it true that you ride a bird?"

Oliver blinked before letting out a light chuckle. It wasn't surprising— his behaviour was generally considered odd for a borrower. He had been called much worse much more often.

"I do indeed ride a bird. A common buzzard to be precise." He explained, happy to find that his name was becoming more well-known around this area. His work was paying off.

"What is your father's name? I should be able to return you to your home with that information. I'll simply have to check my papers, but if I have interacted with him I probably have your address written down alongside his name." He asked, returning to a more serious but still gentle tone and expression.

"Jacob Kettlebell. I-I'm Marcus… My mum is Catherine Kettlebell." The child, Marcus, responded quickly, fidgeting anxiously with anticipation over the fact that he would finally be able to go home. He had had one hell of a week.

Oliver hummed thoughtfully.

"I think I remember that name… I believe you live somewhere close to the human secondary school, yes?" He clarified, getting a small nod in response. Oliver smiled again. "That's not too far from here. You'll be home soon, little one…"

He paused for a moment. Now that he understood the situation a little better and he knew where to take Marcus in order to return him safe and sound to his parents… now came the issue with James. Oliver wouldn't dare force or trick the boy into facing his friend, even if he knew James was safe. It simply wasn't right.

Best to be direct instead. That was always better.

"Would you be open to leaving the walls, Marcus? My friend feels awful after scaring you so badly the other day, and I believe that getting the opportunity to apologise to you may help him feel a bit more settled. You can say no of course. I don't wish to put you in an uncomfortable situation against your will." Oliver spoke calmly and clearly about his intentions.

Marcus was confused. He hadn't met any other borrowers in the past week.. unless. Oh. Oh.

His eyes became fearful as he remembered the terrifying experience he had had just a few days ago, shuffling back away from Oliver and shaking his head quickly.

"N-no…no.."

Oliver knelt down further, keeping calm the whole time and keeping his distance.

"Shh shh… alright, sweetheart. You don't have to, okay? We'll just go." His heart ached slightly as he knew this would mean James would not get any closure, but there was no way he would put a child through something so clearly traumatising again. He knew James was a good human. As much as he'd like other borrowers to understand, he knew that he couldn't force people to.

Oliver offered his hand, and although Marcus hesitated his desire to go home won out and so he took the offered hand with a small whine. Oliver shushed the boy softly again, helping him to his feet.

"Come along then. I'll get you home in no time… Metaphorically speaking."

…

James waited. And waited. And waited. There was no sign of Oliver or any kid coming out, and so he lay his head down on the table, groaning with regret. He had messed up— and sure, it wasn't on purpose… but the consequences of his callous actions were potentially fatal.

God he hoped the kid was just okay.

He paused in his self-loathing when he heard Oliver's whistle from outside. He was calling Gail… going out to search maybe? He wondered why the borrower hadn't come to relay that information yet, but it didn't matter. He stood up, deciding to wish Oliver luck and apologise again for his monstrous behaviour.

Just as he opened the door and took a few steps outside though, James was interrupted. He heard a loud cry. Fear. James focused on where it was coming from, his eyes widening as he realised that the kid had been in his walls this whole time.

He wasn't sure if that made it worse considering that meant they had been so scared they wouldn't even eat… but he was just relieved that the kid was alive at this point.

Just as he moved to take a step forward and apologise, Oliver's voice rang out; an authoritative tone James hadn't heard before.

"Stop!"

James froze in place, not so much as breathing as he stared wide-eyed at his friend and the child hiding behind him. Hiding. Before James could let his guilty conscience take over, Oliver spoke again.

"Kneel. Do not approach." He commanded. James obeyed wordlessly, getting onto his knees even if it was uncomfortable out on the pavement.

"Good. Just stay still, okay..?" The intimidating edge was gone, replaced with a much more gentle tone.

James blinked. It always felt startling how well Oliver was able to take control of these kinds of situations. He was glad that he did though… based on how the kid was looking, if Oliver hadn't told James to stop he would've just made things ten times worse.

"Are you alright…? He won't hurt you. He'll stay over there, I promise…" James could barely make out the words his friend was speaking from where he knelt, straining to listen to the hushed exchange. His heart dropped as he saw that the kid was once more in tears.

"H-he's gonna ki-ill us…" The kid sobbed, clutching onto Oliver's sweater from behind. That was just about enough to break James's heart entirely. He watched as Oliver very gently held the child and reassured them of their safety.

"He will do no such thing… James sometimes forgets to think before he acts, but he is not malicious. He is a good human." Oliver looked in his direction knowingly as he said that, before resuming his attention towards the younger borrower instead. "Now come on… Let's get you back to your parents. I'm sure they've been in quite a lot of distress over your disappearance."

James watched as they both situated themselves on top of Gail, the kid still watching him with wide terrified eyes. It hurt, but he knew that it wasn't the kid's fault they were so scared. He had definitely come off a bit too strongly at first. Slamming his hand in front of them wasn't his best move.

"I'm…I'm sorry, kid. I'm glad you're alright, at least. No thanks to me…" He took the opportunity whilst it was in front of him to apologise. Whether he was forgiven or not didn't matter, so long as he made his remorse clear. James sighed, then offered a lopsided smile. "Good thing Oliver turned up, huh?"

Oliver didn't stop him from saying his piece, and even allowed time for the kid to process his words rather than lifting off right away. The child paused in their tears, hiccuping a little as they stared at him. They weren't expecting an apology, clearly. Oliver smiled at James, signalling that he did a good thing.

"Are you ready, Marcus?" He asked. The child nodded mutely, still watching James with some mix between fear and curiosity, holding onto Oliver a little tighter from where he was situated on the buzzard. Oliver gave James a look that said 'we will talk more later', before whistling a command to Gail.

The buzzard took off immediately, leaving James alone on the pavement. As much as James still felt massive amounts of guilt over what had transpired, he felt like some of that weight had been lifted in that moment. James stood up and retreated back indoors, watching the buzzard fly off into the distance.

The kid was safe now, and that's what really mattered.

[andreal831]

The Depiction of the Werewolves in TO

Once again, I made a quick, I thought funny, tiktok, which has upset some people because of my, you could say, lack of sympathy for the wolves in TO. But don't blame me, blame the writers.

If you know anything about me, you know Hayley Marshall is a top favorite character for me. I love her growth and the journey she went on to find her family. Which is why, when she did find them (excluding the whole betraying Tyler thing), I was upset by how they treated her. You have Jackson telling her he was disappointed in their interaction, you have Oliver taking advantage of her hospitality and betraying her, and then the rest of her family doesn't even greet her/talk to her. She is supposed to be this "princess who is promised," and yet they can't even take a second to get to know her. I get, they have been cursed and are just trying to enjoy their human moments while they can, but it just didn't give me anything to bond with.

Except Eve. I loved Eve. She welcomed Hayley, not as some long lost royal, but as family. Eve is the first, and really only, werewolf/family that we, as the audience, get to see Hayley bond with. We see her helping Hayley prepare for her baby as well as teaching her about their culture. It's implied others are helping as well, but we never get to see it. It all happens off screen. I just know, if Eve had been alive, she would have been by Hayley's side after she "lost" Hope.

Which makes it so much worse when Oliver kills Eve. And all for power. This is where my dislike for the New Orleans werewolves comes in. Any other time we meet wolves, there is a strong sense of loyalty. You hear, Tyler and Jules and even Hayley talk about the packs they have been with and you see them working together to avoid/fight off Klaus. But then we get to the Crescent wolves and learn that they have been trying to kill each other for power. Not just in the past, we actively see Oliver get his own pack members killed and then kill Eve with zero consequences. Yes, Oliver does die, but not because of that. He is still given a proper burial, something we don't even get to see for Eve.

Now, an argument people use a lot with the wolves is that they are the oppressed. But this argument, to me, comes more from the historical portrayal of werewolves and less from the sources material we are discussing. Throughout much media, the wolves are meant to represent the oppressed -- the poor and downtrodden -- who have been taken advantage of by the blood-sucking aristocrats, the vampires. But in TO, Jackson tells us that the werewolves were at the top of the food chain until in-fighting got the better of them.

And we see this in flashbacks to 1919. Lana Lebonair is working with the Mikaelsons and they are able to create peace in the city with the witches. After the Mikaelsons flee, we don't know exactly what happened, but we know leading up to the 1990s there had been enough in-fighting that the Lebonairs and Kenners had set up an arranged marriage in hopes to quell the civil war that had broken out.

Unlike in other depictions of werewolves, the wolves were not inherently oppressed. The first werewolf we ever meet is Tyler Lockwood, who was by no means strapped for cash. In 1919, the Crescents were living in the Quarter, partying right alongside everyone else. It wasn't until their own members made power grabs did they have issues.

In hindsight, we are told these power grabs are due to the Hollow and someone implied that Marcel should have investigated the werewolves civil war before cursing all of them. First, I don't necessarily support Marcel in everything he does. To me, in Season 1, he was very much like Klaus and it was not my favorite version of him. Should he have cursed an entire pack for the actions of a handful, probably not. But the way Marcel talks about it, it was not just a handful, the entire pack was at war with itself. And the curse only applied to those who had triggered the curse or did trigger the curse, so no children. Again, was there a better solution, maybe, but was it up to Marcel to realize a ancient spirit had possessed one of their leaders when not even his wife had realized? That may be asking too much. Especially after he was watching them try to butcher a baby.

Due to this curse, the werewolves do end up isolated in the bayou. The curse lasts for about 20 years so many of the young members miss out on much of their early adulthood. This is something the show should have gone in on more. In my story, I try to explore this idea that, because of the curse, the werewolves are really disenfranchised. However, in the show, we don't get that. The only wolves we deal with are the leaders who are essentially using their pack as a power play. Aiden is the only leader who seems to be aware that these decisions are impacting the entire pack, and he gets reprimanded for speaking out. Aiden is so desperate to save his pack that he goes to his enemies (Elijah and Marcel) to protect the children from the decisions of his own pack members.

To me, the beauty of the werewolves comes from their loyalty, from how they work together and support each other. The depiction of the Crescent wolves flies in the face of everything I typically love about packs. The leaders abandon each other, have little respect for each other, and for some reason they have a monarchy. Hayley and Aiden are the only leaders we truly see fighting for the pack, and they are often disrespected by the very members they are trying to help.

In Season 1, Hayley is torn between the people who took her in and the pack that she always wanted to find. She ends up in the middle of the conflict and the pack (Oliver) often throws that in her face and uses her as a pawn to try and manipulate the Mikaelsons while also disrespecting her over and over again. But the thing is, they didn't need a pawn. They never tried to open discussions. Hayley marches into a faction meeting angry that the werewolves were not included in the discussion, but they had never asked to be included. As Elijah points out, the meeting was to divide up the Quarter and the wolves do not live in the Quarter. If you are familiar with New Orleans, you know the nearest bayou is about an hour drive away. But when Hayley asked (demanded) to be in the conversation, she was immediately included. She then signed a treaty saying the wolves would help create peace, only for her to go back to the bayou to discover Jackson and Oliver were both working behind her back to make a side deal with Klaus for more power. Instead of building peace, they were again lobbying for power. The very thing that got them cursed in the first place.

Someone argued, 'of course they are trying to get power, they don't want to be cursed again.' And sure, but even when they get their power from Hayley, it doesn't stop them from being cursed by Dahlia. But maybe if they had made friends with the witches, they would have been able to get help from Davina earlier than they did.

It's easy to look at each faction and point out how they've been wronged, but as Hayley points out, they've all harmed each other. If they all wanted reparations for that harm, it would never end. The wolves seem to get the short end of the stick a lot, because, as Jackson says, they were never unified. The witches were and the vampires were. It's not up to the other factions to cut them a break because they couldn't get it together. At the end of it all, they needed to move forward and worry about the future of their people. Which is what Hayley and Lana do leading up to Season 5, when New Orleans was able to actually achieve peace. Not surprising it took women being in charge before the pack found unity.

I would also like to point out that in my post I had also called out Klaus and Marcel. I am not solely blaming the werewolves for the war in New Orleans. But it is incorrect to say the werewolves were innocent bystanders in it. Their history is just as bloody as the other factions. The only faction that was innocent was the human faction who truly did not get a seat at the table. And of course, in any war, the people who ended up paying for these power moves were good people like Sophie and Eve.

[justjasper]

i love your E rated/smut writing. do you have any tips for writing smut?

most of these are about reality/modern-based sex writing rather than fantasy stuff where all the bets can be off!

there is literally no god word to use for balls/testicles, it's fine

USE CHARACTER NAMES. no "younger/older" woman, "darker/paler" man, just use their names especially during a sex scene

do learn some basic anatomy, please look up where the prostate is, where the g-spot is

but fanfic sex doesn't need to be instructional, you are not teaching people how to have sex. it very much shows when you write like this

fanfic is also not consent 101. it's fine to just let your reader assume they're 100% into what they're doing, and i think "unnegotiated kink" should be reserved for scenarios where the kink is spur of the moment, not just "involves kink but no explicit discussion of it" (unless they're not meant to be, which one assumes would be made clear in tags or descriptions!!)

that said, writing about discussing consent can be really fun, doesn't mean you can never do it. you just have to vibe out whether it's adding to the fic or not

talking really helps break up sex scenes, so write at least one character who's chatty lol

plan out your sex scene so you don't get stuck with what's happening next. remember you can go back to it to flesh it out/work on the pacing. honestly most of my sex scenes start on the page as a list that goes: LICK LICK CIRCLE CHAT SUCK SUCK STROKE LICK SUCK GAG SUCK TALK BIG CUM

speaking of going back to pacing, literally invoking time can help make a sex scene seem longer without saying "they fucked for seven and a half minutes". "a long moment later" "by the time X, the sun had begun to rise/fall", "long into the night"

lube is preferable but optional, even for butt stuff. sex without lube doesn't mean it's painful or dangerous, especially for experienced butt stuff doers.

spit as lube is not a cardinal sin and is miles better than things that are actually dangerous (engine oil? things w sugar like honey? baby dont give your chars a yeast infection)

olive oil is fine but it's messy and it doesn't play w condoms, but fine if you're going historical

speaking of which, from my experience people in established relationships forego condoms way quick. and in general people forget to use them all the time. again, this isn't Safe Sex 101, it's fanfic.

but on the flip side, its sexy/funny when characters have lube and condoms to hand. there is no funnier environmental storytelling than there being a bottle of water based lube in the kitchen cupboard with the peanut butter.

simultanious orgasms are a pain to time and sure they're romantic but there's other fun climax dynamics. maybe one character feels duty/honour bound to always make sure their partner comes first

come/cum? it doesn't matter, just keep it consistant per fic

similar, be consistant with your body part names, even if you use a few. e.g. you use "cunt" in narration, but character A uses "pussy", keep that consistant.

you can still euphamise genitals without it sounding like you're afraid of them - sometimes six instances of "cock" in a row doesn't flow, that's when you should be utilising your "hardness" and "shaft" and "length"

the brain is a sex organ, and all the senses are engaged during sex. you can bulk out yor sex scenes and give great insight into the character experiences by describing what they're experiences with non-touch senses (or the lack of them, e.g. when blindfolds are in the mix)

even in pwp works, you're saying something about the characters who are fucking. you can give context and inferred complexity without plot. are they familiar with each other's bodies? is this new? are they confident, or nervous.

write for you! if you are a person who experiences sexual response to erotic fiction, then a good measure of your own work is if it makes you horny to write/re-read it. there's absolutely no shame about being aroused during the process. there's no harm in taking a wank break.

[wheels-of-despair]

@funsonmunson-again's Birthday Week Writing Challenge Oliver Soon-to-be-Munson and the Best Birthday Ever The Eddie: Janitor!Eddie The Prompt: #6: write me something domestic. use your eddie of choice, reader pregnant or not, just give me something for my ovaries to combust to. show me dad!eddie Words: 3.8k? It just kinda... happened. 😳 Contains: Oliver's first birthday with Janitor!Eddie and Teach. Notes: I did some bad math and figured they'd get Oliver in about 1994, so this is meant to take place that summer, while they're just fostering him. Then somebody dropped new Eddie Age info and I was too far into it to recalculate. Disregard if this conflicts with the official timeline. This contains no I Love You's - because I don't know if they're there yet at this point, and those firsts aren't mine to write anyway. (But I'd love to read them, hint hint.)

"Ollie's got a birthday coming up. Any ideas?"

"Hmmm," Eddie hums, crawling into bed after a long day. He settles his head on your chest and wiggles the rest of his body so close, he's nearly on top of you. You smile and wrap your arms around him. You both lie there and think quietly for a moment.

"I don't think we should do anything too big," he says thoughtfully. "Just something normal. If his mom gets him back, we don't want his next birthday to be drastically different."

"Good idea," you agree, twirling a strand of his hair in your fingers. "What's considered normal these days?"

"You're asking me about normal?" he chuckles.

"Nevermind," you laugh. "What was your most memorable birthday?"

"The year it was just me and my mom," he answers quickly. "Dad was in jail. Mom made me a cake and gave me a little red matchbox car. It was all I played with for months."

"Aw," you coo, scratching his scalp gently.

"Then Dad got out and stomped it 'cause I left it in the floor." You kiss the top of his head and hold him a little tighter.

"What was yours?" he asks.

"We were never really big on birthdays. Just dinner and a present or two. Cards from relatives. Very low-key."

He hums and nuzzles into you. You let out a sigh.

"I kinda feel like we should just ask him, but I think it would put too much pressure on him. Poor baby's still afraid to ask for seconds at dinner. Even if he had something in mind, he probably wouldn't tell us."

A sad silence falls over the room. You want to give your sweet boy the world, but you don't know if he could handle it just yet.

"Wayne used to take me to the movies," Eddie says.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Dollar Days at The Hawk."

"The Hawk?"

"There used to be a theater on Main Street, before the mall moved in and turned it into a ghost town. When times were slow, and there was nothing good out, they'd show old movies. A double feature for a dollar. It was old black and white stuff, mostly. The first time Wayne took me, it was pirate movies. That's what kicked off my pirate era."

"Pirate Eddie, huh?"

"Oh yeah. Talked like a pirate for almost a year. Badly. Every stick was a sword. Surprised Wayne didn't make me walk the plank." You chuckle, and you can feel him grinning into your chest.

"I bet you were adorable."

He scoffs. "Pirates are not adorable! They're rough and tough!"

"If you say so, baby." You kiss the top of his head again with a grin.

"Anyway, that was our thing. My birthday's a movie dead zone, so there was usually a Dollar Days promotion going on. I don't think we ever saw pirates again, though. It was mostly westerns after that."

"Was there a Cowboy Eddie era?"

"You bet there was, little lady," he drawls. You cackle and quickly quiet yourself, hoping you hadn't woken up Ollie. "I was gonna move out west and live like the good ol' days. I wanted a ranch with horses and cows and a good dog and a pretty lady."

"Well, one out of five's not bad, I guess." He looks up at you in confusion. "You got the lady, at least," you tease with a wink.

"That's all I need," he whispers. You give him a kiss on the forehead, and both return to your previous positions.

"So, making Oliver a cake and taking him to the movies?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Good morning, birthday boy!" you smile from the stove, where you're keeping an eye on the bacon.

Oliver has finally wandered in, still in his pajamas. He's hugging his teddy bear with one arm and rubbing his eyes with his free hand. This child is the cutest little thing you've ever seen.

"Happy Birthday, bud," Eddie says, coming in from the living room.

"Thanks," Oliver says shyly, looking at the floor.

"What do you think: Breakfast first, or a present?" Eddie asks the boy with a mischievous grin.

Oliver's eyes light up, but he shrugs.

"What do you think, sweetheart?" Eddie asks you.

"I think I'm not quite done over here yet, so you should probably start with a present. That alright with you, Ollie?"

He nods, and you grin at him.

Eddie ducks back into the living room and returns with a neatly wrapped box, which he sets on the table with an exaggerated grunt. Oliver looks from the gift to Eddie to you, silently asking permission.

"It's okay," you encourage him with a smile and a nod.

He sits at the table and carefully unwraps it, almost like he's afraid of what's inside.

What's inside are ten Hardy Boys books.

The school library had a few random volumes left over from the 50s, and Ollie always had one checked out. They were his favorites; he would read the same four or five mysteries over and over again.

You'd never seen a child so happy about getting a book. His jaw dropped, and he reached out and ran his finger along the spines. You'd found a boxed set of the first ten books at a thrift store. They looked almost like new.

"They're really mine?"

"Of course, bud," Eddie assures him.

"For keeps?"

"Yup," you chirp.

First, he hugs his books. Then he hugs Eddie. Then he runs over and hugs you. (You step away from the stove when you see him coming, not wanting him to get too close to the hot pans.) And then he returns to his books, staring at them like he's afraid to take them out.

Eddie seems to sense this, and pulls his chair closer.

"Have you read any of these yet?" he asks.

"This one," Oliver points to a spine, "and this one. I think."

Eddie pulls out the first book Oliver pointed at and reads the summary on the back.

"Yeah, that's my favorite!" Oliver says in amazement when he sees the cover of the book Eddie holds, which is facing him. He excitedly pulls the rest out, one at a time, and carefully inspects each cover.

While he's busy poring over every detail of the cover art, Eddie gives you a smile that almost makes you forget the breakfast you're supposed to be cooking. The ding of the oven timer brings you back to reality.

Turning back to the stove, you hurriedly pull out a pan of biscuits and start turning off burners. Eddie gets up and pulls down a stack of plates for you.

"Alright bud, ready for breakfast now?"

Oliver nods, carefully putting his books back into their box, in the correct order. He tries to pick it up off the table, but struggles until Eddie swoops in. He's just a little guy, after all.

"Wanna put these in your room for now?" Eddie asks. Oliver nods and follows him to the bedroom; Eddie with an armful of books and Ollie with his teddy bear. By the time they get back - the books had to go on a shelf, obviously - breakfast is on the table. Bacon, and eggs, and biscuits made from scratch. The only person who was a bigger biscuit junkie than Ollie was Eddie, so you had two very happy and full boys that morning.

"What time's the thing?" you asked inconspicuously, washing the last of the dishes.

Eddie, who's on drying duty, looks down at his hand. He'd written down the showtime when he double-checked the paper that morning. "11:20."

"You wanna get Ollie dressed while I hop in the shower? If I go out smelling like bacon grease, every dog in town's gonna be chasing us."

He laughs and kisses your forehead, hanging up the dish towel and heading for Ollie's room. You drain the sink and make your way to the bathroom, smiling when you overhear Eddie teasing a fun birthday adventure while trying not to spill the beans.

After you're all dressed (and de-baconed), you hop in the car. Ollie watches curiously from his booster seat in the back.

"Where are we going?"

"Do you really want to know, or do you want it to be a surprise?" You turn around and give him a smile while Eddie drives. "It's okay either way. It's your call, bud."

Oliver shrugs.

"Do you want a hint?"

He thinks about it, then nods his head. A nod instead of a shrug. Progress!

"We're going to the movies."

Confusion clouds his little face.

"Have you ever been to the movies before?" you ask with a smile, hoping that it's disguising the panic you suddenly felt. Had he really never been before? Is this going to be overwhelming for him? Why hadn't you thought of this?!

"Like when we rent tapes?"

"Not exactly. We're going to a theater."

His face is blank.

"It's a big room in the mall, with lots of seats and a huge screen."

"Muuuch bigger than our TV," Eddie adds.

"And we watch the movie there?"

"Yup, on the big screen."

"Why?"

You look at Eddie helplessly, and he chuckles at you.

"Because it's fun," he says. "My Uncle Wayne used to take me on my birthday when I was little. We'd get a bucket of popcorn, and a drink, and then go sit in a comfy chair and wait for the lights to go down. They show you previews of other movies coming out soon, just like on the tapes we rent. And then they turn the real movie on. You've never seen anything like it. It's so big! It doesn't even matter what the movie is. It's just a cool thing to see, and a cool place to be."

"Especially when you're there with your favorite people," you add, looking at Eddie with a smile. He reaches over and squeezes your hand.

"So, sound like fun?" you ask, turning your attention back to Ollie.

He nods. You'll take it.

Oliver is understandably nervous when you arrive at the theater. It's his very first time, after all. He clings to your side from the minute you help him out of the car. Eddie buys the tickets at the box office out front, and sticks them in his front pocket. You walk Oliver around the lobby to look at the posters while Eddie waits in line to buy a bucket of popcorn and a drink from the counter inside.

Ollie's eyes linger over the candy counter when you come to meet Eddie, but he doesn't say a word. That's alright. You'll hook him up later, you think with a smirk. Moms have their ways.

("Their ways" meaning you bought candy at the dollar store a few days ago and hid it in the bottom of your purse. You feel no shame about this. Movie theater candy is highway robbery. Just the facts.)

With a bucket of popcorn and a gallon of soda, Eddie leads the way into the theater. He picks a spot in the back, away from everyone else, and you all get settled in. You check your watch.

"Ten minutes to go. Probably a good time to hit the bathroom," you note. Eddie nods.

"Wanna hit the head before the movie starts, buddy?" Oliver shrugs. "C'mon," Eddie says with a smile and a tilt of his head. They leave together, and you guard the popcorn.

They come back just in time. Oliver sits between you, munching on popcorn and looking around. There's not a whole lot to see in here; it's a morning matinee, and the movie's been out for a while, so there's only a handful of other people. Then the lights go down, and Oliver tenses.

"It's alright, it just means the show's about to start," Eddie whispers to him. Oliver looks to you, and you nod in agreement. He sits back in his seat and pulls his knees up, resting his chin on them. You and Eddie share A Look over his head.

And then the screen comes to life. Oliver's eyes widen. You and Eddie are both trying to watch him without being obvious about it, and failing hilariously. You watch him all through the previews, completely transfixed by the clips on the giant screen in front of him.

When the theater chain's roller coaster intro came on, you thought Oliver was going to lose his mind. His eyes were the size of saucers, and his jaw was dangerously close to coming unhinged. You and Eddie grin at each other. This was the show you came to see.

And then the lights dim more, and the movie starts. Oliver perks up at the Disney logo, which he is very familiar with. You and Eddie's traditional Friday night plans of "dinner and a movie" looked a little different these days, but you loved them just the same. Maybe more.

A song blasts through the speakers scattered throughout the theater. Oliver leans forward, seemingly possessed by the music, inching closer and closer to the empty seat in front of him as each new animal appears. By the time the lions show up, he's standing, grasping the top edge of the chair in front of him with both hands, like it's all that's keeping him from falling into the movie.

You cover your mouth and look over at Eddie, who is grinning so hard, it looks like it might actually split his face.

After a few minutes of letting him soak it in, you reach forward and hook your finger through his belt loop, pulling him back to his seat gently. He lands on his chair with a light bounce, but doesn't seem to notice. You and Eddie share another grin, and start digging into the popcorn.

You've never seen any child pay such close attention to anything for so long in your life. And you've spent quite a lot of time around them. But Oliver remains focused throughout the entire movie, from the opening sunrise to the final scene where the good guy triumphs. He didn't even get scared during those freaky hyena scenes.

When the lights finally come back on, Oliver sits back in his seat and breathes for the first time in an hour and a half. He looks up at Eddie, then at you.

"Well, what'd you think?" you ask.

"This was the best birthday EVER."

The cub's ruling may have come a little early, because the day was still young.

Oliver had been too captivated by the movie to eat anything, and you and Eddie had only eaten half the popcorn, so you brought the bucket home with you. You looked back at him, munching on a handful and staring thoughtfully out the window. You wished you knew what was going on in his head…

But you soon found out. After he'd eaten his fill of popcorn and had time to process the mind-blowing event of going to the movies for the first time, and he started talking. And he didn't stop.

He told you about his favorite scenes, and his favorite characters, and what his favorite song was, and that he knew all along that the good guy would win in the end. He'd memorized so many details from the movie, after only one viewing, you were extremely impressed. You and Eddie nodded along happily, laughing and gasping in the appropriate places of his passionate re-telling.

By the time you got close to home, Oliver had nearly talked himself out. His blinks were becoming longer, and he leaned his head back against the seat. Eddie, who'd been keeping an eye on him in the rearview mirror, took the long way around instead of his usual shortcut. Oliver was asleep when you pulled in the driveway.

Eddie handed you the keys and opened the back door to unbuckle Oliver and pull him out. You led the way up the front steps and unlocked the door, holding it for your beautiful boys. Eddie carried Oliver into his room and came back out with a grin.

"You think he liked it?" he asks, causing both of you to burst into a fit of hushed giggles.

"Wayne'll be here in an hour and a half. Wanna get stuff ready, or lay on the couch for a few?" Eddie asks. You look at each other for approximately three seconds before heading to the couch.

You doze for about an hour, then get up and start working on Oliver's birthday dinner. You've got a salad to make and a cake to ice. Eddie's got grilling to do. After all the vegetables are washed, Eddie goes to wake up Oliver. When they return to the kitchen, you send them both outside with a pan full of vegetables wrapped in foil. Eddie might not be great with the baking, but the man can grill anything.

A few minutes later, Wayne knocks twice, then lets himself in as you're starting to frost the cake you baked late last night.

"Hi, Wayne!"

"Hey, darlin'. You need help?"

"Nope, just finishing up. You need a drink?"

"Eddie's got the cooler outside. Uh…" You look up from the cake to see Wayne rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, just like Eddie does. "You got wrappin' paper?"

"Yeah, hall closet." You point, and he shuffles over and pulls out a roll of blue striped paper.

"Scissors?"

"Scissors and tape are in the top drawer closest to you," you point again. "You need help?"

"I can wrap a damn present, girl."

"Then why didn't you teach Eddie how?"

"Boy wouldn't sit still long enough." You both grin, and he pulls something out of his flannel pocket and drops it on the table, turning his back to you and getting to work.

You slather the last of the frosting on your cake as Wayne walks the roll of blue paper back to the closet.

"I, uh… I didn't have any."

"That's okay. I've always got plenty, appropriate for any gift-wrapping occasion. Help yourself, any time."

"Thanks. Uh... all I had was newspaper, and I didn't have time to make it to the store and back… I, uh, didn't want the boy to feel like he was an afterthought." Your heart swells, but you can already hear Wayne's "don't go gettin' all emotional on me, girl", so you take an alternate route.

"Wayne, you know it's what's inside the paper that counts," you say with a wink. He chuckles, and Oliver peeks his head inside the door.

"Eddie says to bring him some dang meat."

"Tell him to hold his dang horses," you laugh, reaching into the fridge for a plate of burgers and hot dogs. Oliver relays your reply out the door, and you can hear Eddie cackle from his place by the grill. Wayne stuffs the little package back into his pocket and reaches for the dang meat. You pick up your salad and follow him out the door, which Oliver holds for you like a gentleman.

While Eddie cooks his dang meat, Oliver tells Wayne about his day so far: breakfast, books, the coolest movie ever. Wayne grins, then pats his pocket with a questioning look at you. You nod. He pulls out his present, and hands it to Ollie.

"Another present?!"

"Yup. Happy Birthday, little man."

Oliver looks at you, and you nod, giving him the go-ahead. He tears off the paper to reveal two matchbox cars: a red one, and a blue one.

"What'd you get, buddy?" Eddie asks, leaning over to see. He freezes when he sees the two little cars.

"I figured you needed two so you could play with your-- with Eddie," Wayne corrects quickly.

"Thank you!" Ollie says with a grin, holding his cars closer to inspect the details. Eddie shares a look with Wayne, then looks to you. You give him a warm smile, knowing exactly what this reminds him of.

Dinner went great. You had burgers, hot dogs, roasted veggies and corn on the cob, salad, and potato chips. (Eddie insisted that having a cook-out without potato chips was against the laws of America. Wayne and Oliver backed him up on this. Who were you to argue with the laws of America, as decided by the people?)

You brought out the cake and stuck the candles in it. Eddie insisted that everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to Ollie, and proceeded to dramatically air-guitar his way through it. Oliver laughed so hard at Eddie, and at Wayne rolling his eyes at Eddie, he had to hold onto you for support. He finally caught his breath and blew out his candles. While Eddie was removing the candles and preparing to cut the cake, Ollie looked up at you with his big eyes. You leaned down closer, sensing that he wanted to tell you something.

"Do you want to know what I wished for?" he whispers.

"If you tell, it won't come true," you whisper back. He looks thoughtful for a moment, then grins.

"Cake?" he asks.

"Cake!" you repeat.

"Cake." Eddie says, placing a piece in front of Oliver, then handing you one across the table.

"Cake?" Wayne asks, not wanting to be left out.

"Cake!" Eddie says, giving Wayne a piece, then settling down with his own.

After everyone was properly caked, Wayne went home to get ready for work. You and Eddie performed a hasty clean-up (thank you, aluminum foil), and you put away leftovers while the boys played on the living room floor with their new cars. Ollie's favorite color is blue, so Eddie laid claim to the red car. (Even though you heard Ollie tell Eddie he could have the blue one if he wanted, like the sweetest boy in the whole world.)

You leaned on the counter and watched them play, racing and doing daring stunts and making hilarious sound effects as they recklessly 'drove' over any surface in reach. You could watch them for hours, but that would interfere with a certain birthday boy's bedtime.

Ollie never complained when you told him it was bedtime. Maybe because bedtime here meant he got to wear clean pajamas and crawl into his own bed with a full belly and his favorite teddy bear, and have a bedtime story read to him by people who loved him.

He was struggling to keep his eyes open when Eddie finished tonight's chapter of the fantasy book they'd picked out together. You tucked him in while Eddie turned on the nightlight.

"Good night, baby," you whisper with a kiss to the top of his head.

"Good night, buddy," Eddie said quietly on his way to the door.

"'Night," Oliver mumbles sleepily, "was best birthday ever."

It really was.

Bonus: Oliver's wish was that he could stay with you and Eddie forever. I can tell you that now, because it already came true. 😉

Double Bonus:

[nile-the-empathy-cleric]

Reflections on folk Catholicism, Italian folk magic, and an Italian folk magic inspired candle spell

Over the course of my almost 15 year witchcraft and folk magic journey I have gone from where almost every baby witch starts (cobbled together wicca and unknowingly appropriating closed practices) to working to unlearn all the harmful things I was brought up on. For the past 7-ish years I’ve been reconnecting with my cultural heritage and the folk practices of my ancestors. During this time I learned that there were designated and initiated folk healers in my family, including a living relative who was the go to Malocchio remover. While she is too poorly to teach me, hearing from relatives about her gifts and the type of healing she did gave me a great sense of connection and confidence to practice these traditions. This journey also changed my perspective on Catholicism. Understanding that folk Catholicism and Catholicism™️ are not the same allowed me to see my family’s faith and practice as a sort of animism and devotion to a divine power rather than strict, intolerant dogma with an oppressive ideology.

If you look at folk Catholicism, especially southern Italian, Sicilian, and Sardinian practices, you find that every profession, person, place, thing has a Saint associated with it— not unlike the belief in animism that places and things have their own spirits. You come to learn that folk Catholics worship the Madonna far more than God— paralleling goddess worship. Seeing this helped ease a significant part of my religious trauma. That is not to say that I’m suddenly Catholic again, rather I feel I can safely incorporate the Catholic aspects of my family’s folk healing practice into my own craft without feeling distressed.

Before, I was entirely avoidant of saying the prayers that empowered traditional spells, but recently in a moment of intense panic, pain, and sadness I did an impromptu candle spell and prayed the rosary (much to my surprise). It was almost instinctive… unlike the last time I prayed the rosary for a spell. That time I made a conscious effort to pray for someone who was Catholic using folk Catholicism. This time I found myself intuitively reaching for my rosary and saying the prayers as if I said them every day. I prayed the rosary 3 times as a watched my candle spell burn to completion. In doing so I was plucked from my distress and felt an eerie sense of calm. My mind was quiet and I could breathe.

The day I did this spell I had come upon a horrific car accident on my way home from work and felt traumatized by what I saw. I couldn’t calm down and was spiraling in an OCD loop of violent intrusive thoughts about what might have happened to the person in the car. I kept worrying about them, hoping for an outcome that wasn’t tragic. When I got home the only thing I could think to do was to focus my energy into something positive. So, I sat and decided to do a blessing spell for the person in the car, regardless of the outcome. Now, I’m sharing that candle spell with you (whoever’s reading this).

I used 2 chime candles, one white and one purple for blessing and peaceful energies. Then I ground basil (protection, purification), lavender (peace, rest), chamomile (peace, protection), and red clover (blessing, good fortune) with my mortar and pestle. I anointed the candles with olive oil, dragging the oil away from me. I then rolled the candles through the ground herbs and set them on either side of an amethyst crystal. After lighting the candles I prayed my first rosary. Using my amethyst rosary beads, I circled the candles clockwise 3 times after I finished my first set of prayers. I repeated the rosary and circling 2 more times as I focused on the candles burning and my intent. As the candles melted almost all the way down, I flicked some acqua di San Giovanni onto them for more blessing energy. And that’s the spell. Maybe this will be meaningful for someone other than me. Thank you for reading

[nestasgalpal]

So another Nesta action that I’d love to get your insight is Nesta asking Feyre to teacher her to paint after she returns from Tamlin. IMO this is Nesta know that her sister needs purpose. That it was Nesta’s way of helping Feyre transition back into the mortal world. And most importantly she did this in a way the respected Feyre’s pride. Feyre’s pride a big part of a lot of problems between the sisters

Love this moment between the two sisters!! I disliked Nesta when I started the book, of course, but when Feyre comes back the first time, and realizes Nesta wanted to get her back so badly she spent their last coins on hiring the mercenary woman, and resisted Tamlin's spell, I warmed up to her, as I read Feyre doing.

Idk, the conversation they had seemed to me like Nesta aknowledging she was in debt with her sister and wanting to make their new house a home for her too. Nesta offers a painting studio because she initially thinks Feyre will stay, and for me her asking Feyre to teach her is an olive branch, a way of saying "I am willing to put effort into building a bond".

Then Feyre confides in Nesta that she actually wants to go back to Prythian, wich, again, for me it read as Feyre being confident that Nesta will understand, and pouring her heart out in front of her believing this time Nesta won't shame her for it. Like, Feyre thinks if there is someone who she can talk to in the house, it's Nesta. And she happens to be right about it, btw. Nesta encourages her to go and be happy, to not worry about them. She only asks that, if it is ever safe, to write back so she knows.

From this scene and onwards, I consider their bad relationship the years prior to be water under the bridge for both. I know they had issues again, in the end they are very different, both of them very proud, but each and every time Feyre asks Nesta for help from that moment, Nesta obliges. The only time she hesitates is when she is asked to share her experience *being killed and reborn* and she doesn't want to, which she ends up doing anyway when Feyre threatens using Elain instead, who is basically a zombie at the time.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

3.5/5. Releases 4/23/2024.

Heat Index: 5/10

Vibes: romcom shenanigans, childhood friends to lovers, positive male friendships, vacations

Archie (earl), Simon (earl), and Effie (future earl) have been friends since they were young boys. And they have a tradition--Earls Trip, where they spend time together, relax, and have fun. But this year's trip gets diverted when a letter arrives, begging him to rescue his childhood friend Olive from an ill-advised elopement. Oh, and Olive's sister Clementine ran after Olive, so can he rescue her too? The trip is no longer just the earls, but a pair of girls; and Archie finds himself drawn to the grown-up Clementine, who's gone from his wild young friend to a blunt woman who refuses to marry.

As we all know, historical accuracy is not my biggest priority with historical romances. Is this book very concerned with history? Not at all. Is it a frothy, funny little story about a bunch of hapless lords dealing with ladies just CRASHING their PARTY. Yes.

Could it have been a lot more? I do think so.

I feel like this premise could've gone a lot further, and based on that and the cover (which I actually find rather cute and befitting the book, despite my general dislike of cartoon covers) I thought we'd get roadtrip romance vibes that we just didn't. In fact, while Archie and Clementine had chemistry, and their romance was cute, I think we should've leaned into the romance part a good bit sooner.

Quick Takes:

--Jenny Holiday has a really approachable, naturally funny writing style, and that's on full display here. I think it best serves the earls (well, the earls and the viscount). Their relationship was my favorite part of the book, and I don't necessarily think that's surprising or a bad thing. I love a romance, especially a historical romance, where the heroes are like "that's my brother. THAT'S MY BROTHER" [tearful manly hug].

This actually takes it a step further. Archie, Simon, and Effie are supportive and openly loving. They confide in each other. They bare their hearts to each other. Like, they have their little quirks and none of them are perfect creatures without flaw. They're funny and human. I just think these kind of friendships between men are so uncommon in fiction that it's just refreshing to see.

--You do have hijinx, right? You have an errant bullet early in the book (nobody is seriously injured--I think this is the second heroine I've read shoot the hero by accident this year?), you have phallic hedges, you have poetic drama. But while I by no means expected a Hangover-esque orgiastic trip from what was clearly a romcom.....

I don't know. Not a lot happened on the trip. Like, I get that it was supposed to be dudely bonding, but I didn't really see them... doing much... besides companionably hanging out? And I think you need more than that. I mean, there's some plot, but the pacing of the book just kind of made it feel less.

--I also think the pacing could've used some work. The official summary mentioned that Clementine asked Archie to teach her about sex, and he does... But like, in the back half of the book. It's not a big thing. It doesn't kick off the PLOT.

And I think that if it had, there would've been a lot more urgency to the story. I kind of felt like the book pulled a big "hurry up and wait".

The Sex:

So, the sex does something interesting. Again, it's kind of at odds with the description. There are a few scenes, and none of them go super far. Like, pleasure is had, but I kind of felt like the story was building up to a big wedding night scene and it... doesn't happen.

That said, I did appreciate that Clementine wasn't a virgin; she just hadn't had good sex. Archie is really sweet and weirdly friend-like during these scenes, but he's also BARELY keeping it together. One of my favorite moments of the book is when he demonstrates the "tools" men can use to give women pleasure. I just wish we'd have more of that, or at least had it earlier in the story.

While this installment wasn't a home run for me, it was fun, and I think there's potential for the series. I want to know what happens to Simon and Effie. That's half the battle, right?

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[thornstocutyouwith]

Name: Parker Anthelm Sheamus Rylee Kelcey Nemo Liam Magni Fergus Cartwright

Meaning of Name:  Parker: Park Keeper. Anthelm: "wrath, zeal" combined with helm meaning "helmet, protection". Sheamus: Supplanter. Rylee: Courageous. Kelcey: Brave. Nemo: Nobody. Liam: Strong-willed Warrior. Magni: Strong. Fergus: Fear 'man' + gus 'vigor', 'force', or possibly 'choice'. Cartwright: A maker of carts.

Nickname(s):  Park, Nemo, Lee, 

Age: Unknown age (Appears 40)

Birthday: August 3

Species/Nationality: Snake/Human Hybrid, American

Accent: No

Language spoken: Sign Language, English, Snake,

Powers:

Snake Physiology

Tsuchinoko

Weaknesses/Illness/Allergies: Deaf, Cold temperatures, Vision impairment, Allergic to spider wasps, 

Pet: No

Occupation: Inventor

Faceclaim: Tom Hardy

Description: He has olive white skin, Cold light green eyes, and short light brown hair. There’s a scar on his torso. His right eye is odd, covering it up with a patch. Has a snake birthmark on his tongue, which is also permanently shaped like a snake tongue. Scaled patches of skin and snake-like eyes at times.

Outfit/Accessories/Jewelry: Backpack,

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 145

Body Build: Average muscle/Lean

Backstory/Background:

Before Parker’s birth one of his parents had been a young child, themself. It was his mother, in this case. Who had been with a group of her friends out in the woods one day. What had happened that day with the young group of friends would change the course of all of their descendants life's going on into the future. While the children had been out in those woods they came across some crows. In a moment of making bad choices the children attacked the crows, murdering one. Because of this a witch appeared to them and cursed the children. That curse would be carried with Parker’s mother throughout the rest of her life.

When Parker was born he was born unlike other baby’s, at least unlike many other baby’s, aside from those who were also born the children of the ones that participated in the murder of the crow. He was born from a hardened egg. Which his mother had laid. This was bad enough that his parents, traumatized by this, left the boy in the woods to die. But this was not to be Parker’s lot in life. Fate had certainly had different plans for the boy. A pack of Werewolves had been passing by and saw the egg. Taking pity on it they took the egg in and brought it to their home. There Parker’s egg would hatch and he would be raised by wolves.

As a young boy Parker would often explore the woods around his adopted family’s pack. He would soon stumble upon a woman in those very woods who had taken an interest in Parker. Parker’s werewolf family would warn him to stay away from the woman. When the woman had come to try and take him by asking them if she could have him she was turned away. This woman would wait then for Parker to be alone again. Which eventually would happen, and she would kidnap him from his family, taking him far away to a new home where she was to keep him and teach him how to become more like a human, than a wolf, or even a snake.

Parker would often resist her attempts to civilize him and even when showing signs of development he would revert back easily to his wolf personality. Though as he grew up and realized she was never going to let him go back with his adopted family until he was free from her he would try to do what she had asked, waiting for the perfect moment. Parker would mature into a quiet, if a bit aloof teenager and attend a school for those who were born unhuman. He then would find a group of friends at the school and start a club with them. In his time in the high school and in this club Parker would adopt a title of Mystery Type and attend events to help his friends’ schemes throughout their life in high school.

Over his time going to this school Parker would work on himself and find interest in invention. But he would often keep in mind his intention to return home to the family he had come to call his own, the werewolves. That was his ultimate goal overall. He would eventually graduate with high honors at this school and go on to start a career in inventions. Now, he met with the woman who had taken him from his family and took his freedom. Then he would return to the place where the werewolves had once lived. Only what he found there was no one. It seemed they had not lived in that place for a long time. Because of this Parker secluded himself and got completely focused on his inventive work.

Some years later Parker would find himself in the mix with a group that was looking to save the world after a piece of the sky fell. Parker thought at first this claim was quite amusing, the sky falling meaning the end of the world. It was silly to him. But as he watched the group get into more and more trouble his interest would peak and he would eventually bite. Soon joining them on their little escapades to return the piece of the sky back to where it was before it fell and brought the end of the world. Parker was not entirely part of the group. Only showing up at times, using his inventions to help the others in the group and tease them about their nearly failing saving the world. 

(Work In Progress)

Personality:

Cold, Sharp-Witted, Cutting, Aggressive, Cunning, Energetic, Stoic, Humorous, Wanderer, Aloof,

Quirks/Savvies/Other: Fast talking, Avoids stepping on cracks on sidewalks, Maintains eye contact too long, Doesn’t know how to read, Finds card games annoying, Opportunely arranges things, Answers for others, Paints his nails a different color each week, Has a list of transgressions against him and appropriate revenges for each, Regularly commits petty crimes, Believes in vampires, Highly sensitive to criticism, Prone to hand fidgeting, Skills: Packing Things, Cooking, Farming, Mechanical Engineering, Future Thinking, Voice Impressions, Painting, Throwing, Extreme Sports, Sign Language, Hobbies: Playing board games, Programming, Chainsaw Carving, Watch Making, Anime, Leather Tooling, Soccer, Modeling, Collecting Antiques, Golf, Drawing, Aquascaping, Flea Market Shopping, Poker, Graphitti, Lounging, Palm Reading, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chess, Home Science Experiments, Puppetry, People Watching, Lockpicking, 

Likes: Antiques, Being touched on the thighs, Clowns, Magic Tricks, Studio Ghibli Movies, Rabbits, Yo-Yo’s, Flying Saucers, Archeology, Hot Water, Rodents, Tennis, Surfing, Comedies, Being in the woods, Leaves, Adventure Movies, Chickens, Falling in love, Thanksgiving, Picking fruits and vegetables, Running, Social Commentary, Theology, Griffons, Martial Arts Movies, Puppets, Snow, Mannequins, 

Dislikes: The color Blue, Late Summer, Mess/Creating mess, Lazer Tag, Elders, Mid-Summer, Listening to music (vibrations), Mountains, Reading, Anthropology, Cryptids, People without Manners, Sick people, Cops, Video Games, Podcasts, Fortune Telling, Aliens, Ants, 

Fears: Being stared at,

Personality Tests:

Other: Leo,  

Parent(s):

   -> Father:

   -> Mother:

Sibling(s): 1 younger brother, 1 younger sister, (Adopted Siblings: Travis Cartwright, Evander, Howard, Tom, Marvin,

Other Relatives:

Starters

Chat’s

Para’s

Face

Stuff

Information

Asks

All

                                                            Alternate Universes

[kittypets-read-the-series]

B1 C2: RUSTY GETS AMBUSHED

It was very dark.

“What was dark?”

“Filou! Be quiet!”

“Alright, alright, Luna, keep your fur on!”

Rusty could sense something was near.

“It’s Rusty!” Tommy meowed.

“I think this might be from his point of view.” Princess said.

… This place was unfamiliar, but the strange scents drew him onward, deeper into the shadows.

Nutmeg shook her head. “He always was the most adventures of our kits.” she whispered to Jake.  “He got it from you!” Jake just looked at her innocently.

… Suddenly a flash of gray raced past him. Rusty stopped still, listening.

Hattie squeaked.

… He was downwind of the mouse. He knew it was not aware of him.

“He always was the hunter.” Luna said.  “I’ve lost count of all the times he pounced on me!”

… The mouse dived for cover, heading toward a hole in the ground. But Rusty was already on top of it.

“WHOO!” Filou yowled.

Suddenly a noise roared nearby.

“What is it?” Cody asked, eyes wide.

… Angry, Rusty gave up the hunt. He spun around, his green eyes glaring, intent on searching out the noise that had cost him his kill.

“I hate it when that happens!” Jake muttered.  He was hunting a sparrow once and another cat, a rouge, had startled some bushes, making him lose his catch.  He had longed to teach that rogue a lesson, but the rogue looked battle-scarred and dangerous, so he cut his losses and went on his way.  Lots of cats without a housefolk thought kittypets were cowards - some were - but others knew when to argue with a wild cat and when not to.

… The forest had disappeared. He was inside a hot and airless kitchen, curled in his bed.

“Oh, it was a dream.” Oliver said.

… Rusty had been dreaming.

“Mouse dung!” Tommy meowed.

Lifting his head, he rested his chin on the side of his bed. His collar rubbed uncomfortably around his neck.

“Downside to being a kittypet.  THE DANG COLLAR!” Filou sighed.

… Rusty rolled onto his back, savoring the dream for a few more moments. He could still smell mouse. 

“That happens with me sometimes.” Livy meowed. “Part of my dream follows me back into the real world.”

From his bed he could smell the bland odor of his food. His owners always refilled his dish before they went to bed.

“They are good housefolk.” Hattie sighed.  “Very nice.”

The food felt dry and tasteless on his tongue. Rusty reluctantly swallowed one more mouthful.

“Yeah, sometimes the food isn’t that good.” Zach said, wrinkling his nose.

“But we sure do let our housefolk know!” Tyler meowed.

… He made his dirt beneath a large bush with glossy green leaves and heavy purple flowers.

“Didn’t need to know that.” Tommy muttered.

… It was a favorite spot of his, as he could see right into the neighboring gardens as well as into the dense green forest on the other side of the garden fence.

Nutmeg looked pointedly at Jake. “Just like you.” she muttered.

… He heard his owners giving him one last call from the back door. … But this time Rusty ignored his owners’ voices and turned his gaze back to the forest. The crisp smell of the woods had grown fresher after the rain.

Nutmeg turned to Jake again, but he cut her off. “I know! I know! Just like me!”

… Was something moving out there? Was something watching him?

“Oh dear.” Hattie said.

… Tensing his muscles, he crouched for a moment. Then he leaped lightly down into the rough grass on the other side of the garden fence. As he landed, the bell on his collar rang out through the still night air.

Princess purred. “He’s heading into the woods now!”

“Where are you off to, Rusty?” … A young black-and-white cat was balancing ungracefully on the fence.

“Wait...that sounds like you Smudge.” Cody said.

“Hello, Smudge,” Rusty replied.

“I knew it!”

“You’re not going to go into the woods, are you?” … “Henry said he went into the woods once.” The cat lifted his head and gestured with his nose over the rows of fences toward the garden where Henry lived.

“That old tabby never went into the woods.” Jake huffed.  He knew Henry, the furball exaggerated everything.

“That fat old tabby never went into the woods!” Rusty scoffed.

Jake blinked.

“Welp,” Filou said.  “You know what they say, like father, like son!”

“He’s hardly been beyond his own garden since his trip to the vet. All he wants to do is eat and sleep.”

“Too right!” Jake agreed

“No, really. He caught a robin there!” Smudge insisted.

“Don’t believe everything that puffball says.” Jake meowed, shaking his head.

… “Henry told me there are all sorts of dangerous animals out there. Huge wildcats who eat live rabbits for breakfast and sharpen their claws on old bones!”

Jake and Crystal started hacking in amusement. 

“I’ve met two wild cats, those rumors aren’t true!” Jake meowed.  

Crystal recalled the story of how she had saved a wild cat's life from a fox.

… Suddenly the movement of a tiny creature caught his eye. He watched it scuttle under some brambles. Instinct made him drop into a low crouch.

“It’s real this time!” Luna perked up.

… Excitement coursed through him, making his heart pound. This was even better than his dreams!

“Get it! Get it!” Filou and Tommy chanted.

… Then a sudden noise of cracking twigs and crunching leaves made him jump. His bell jangled treacherously, and the mouse darted away into the thickest tangle of the bramble bush. Rusty stood very still and looked around.

The kittypets held their breath.

He could see the white tip of a red bushy tail trailing through a clump of tall ferns up ahead. He smelled a strong, strange scent, definitely a meat-eater, but neither cat nor dog.

“Oh no.” Jake muttered. “Fox.”

Distracted, Rusty forgot about the mouse and watched the red tail curiously. He wanted a better look.

“No…” Jake meowed. “Stay away from the fox!”

… he kept his eyes fixed on the strange red fur up ahead, and continued to creep onward. It was only when the faint rustling behind him became a loud and fast-approaching leaf-crackle that Rusty realized he was in danger.

Nutmeg gasped, worried for her youngest.

The creature hit him like an explosion and Rusty was thrown sideways into a clump of nettles. Twisting and yowling, he tried to throw off the attacker that had fastened itself to his back. It was gripping him with incredibly sharp claws.

Princess and Luna’s eyes were wide.

… He writhed and squirmed from whisker to tail, but he couldn’t free himself. For a second he felt helpless; then he froze. Thinking fast, he flipped over onto his back.

“Dangerous, but might just work…” Jake whispered.

He knew instinctively how dangerous it was to expose his soft belly, but it was his only chance. He was lucky—the ploy seemed to work. He heard a “hhuuffff” beneath him as the breath was knocked out of his attacker.

“That’s my kit!” Jake yowled proudly.

… Rusty managed to wriggle free. Without looking back he sprinted toward his home.

“Run, run, run, run…” many whispered.

… Even though the pain from his scratches stung beneath his fur, Rusty decided he would rather turn and fight than let himself be jumped on again.

Jake nodded in agreement.  He would rather do that too.

It was another kitten, with a thick coat of shaggy gray fur, strong legs, and a broad face. … Taken by surprise by Rusty’s turnabout, it fell back into a dazed heap. The impact knocked the breath out of Rusty, and he staggered.

Nami and Livy listened with wide eyes as their uncle took on this scary-sounding wild cat.  Their mother had told them about him and their brother Cloudtail’s exploits in the forest.  They were excited to hear about them first pawed.

He quickly found his footing and arched his back, puffing out his orange fur, ready to spring onto the other kitten. But his attacker simply sat up and began to lick a forepaw, all signs of aggression gone.

“What….?” Tommy tilted his head in confusion.

… “Hi there, kittypet!” meowed the gray tom cheerily. “You put up quite a fight for a tame kitty!”

“Not all of us are tame.” Jake said mysteriously. Nutmeg whacked him with her paw.

“I tamed you.  So you aren’t on that list.” 

Jake gave her an offended look as Tommy and Filou gagged at their parents.

Rusty remained on tiptoe for a second, wondering whether to attack anyway. Then he remembered the strength he had felt in this kitten’s paws when he had pinned him to the ground.

“Good.” Jake nodded.  “Know when to attack, and when not to.”

… “What’s a kittypet like you doing out in the woods? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?” asked Graypaw.

“Uhh...yes.” Cody said.

“If you’re the most dangerous thing the woods has to offer, then I think I can handle it,” Rusty bluffed. … “Oh, I’m far from the most dangerous. If I were even half a warrior, I’d have given an intruder like you some real wounds to think about.”

Nutmeg stiffed at the thought.

Rusty felt a thrill of fear at these ominous words. … “You must have heard of the four warrior Clans that hunt around here!

“Wait, wait, wait.” Oliver said. “Time out. So, Rusty was supposed to know about these ‘Clans’, but this Graypaw is surprised that Rusty doesn’t really know about the dangers? Am I the only one seeing this?”

… The other Clans are always trying to steal prey from our territory, especially ShadowClan. They’re so fierce they would have ripped you to shreds, no questions asked.”

Nutmeg dug her claws into the earth at the thought. She knew from Jake that WindClan was rather friendly with outsiders, but this ShadowClan…she shivered. They sounded nasty.

… “They come to take prey that is rightfully ours. … Kits have to be six moons old before they even begin training. Tonight is my first night out as an apprentice.”

“Hmm.” Nami said.  “They have an organized system.”

“Why don’t you find yourself an owner with a nice cozy house instead? … “No way! I can’t think of anything worse than being a kittypet!

“How about being dead?” Nutmeg said, her eyes narrowed.  “Starving? Incredibly sick?  Losing the ones you love?  There are many things that are worse than being a kittypet.”

They’re nothing but Twoleg toys!

Luna huffed. “No we are not!”

Eating stuff that doesn’t look like food, making dirt in a box of gravel, sticking their noses outside only when the Twolegs allow them?

“I could go outside whenever I wanted.” Ruby whispered to Socks.  He nodded in agreement.

… “I guess you’ll never understand.” … “You weren’t born wild. It makes a big difference.

“No it does not.” Jake hissed, eyes narrowed into slits.

You need to be born with warrior blood in your veins, or the feel of the wind in your whiskers. … “That’s not true!” he [Rusty] mewed indignantly.

“Too right!” Jake muttered.

… “I smell cats from my Clan,” … “Run!” … He was too late.

“Oh no!” Livy squeaked.

Rusty turned to see a large gray she-cat strolling majestically out from the undergrowth. … “Bluestar!” Beside Rusty, Graypaw crouched down and narrowed his eyes.

“Bluestar? Wasn’t that one of the starry cats who showed up before?” Socks said.

He crouched even lower when a second cat—a handsome, golden tabby—followed the gray cat into the clearing. … Lionheart, I’m sorry.” … Rusty copied Graypaw and crouched low to the forest floor, his ears twitching nervously.

Nutmeg was stiff with tension.

“Who is this?” … Rusty flinched as she turned her gaze on him. … [Graypaw] just a Twoleg pet from beyond our territories.”

“Excuse me?” Nami said, offended.

Just a Twoleg pet! The words inflamed Rusty, but he held his tongue.

“Looks like he got mother’s brains!” Filou said.

Jake looked offended.

Nutmeg’s eyes glittered with mirth.

The warning look in Bluestar’s stare told him that she had observed the anger in his eyes, and he looked away. … Bluestar was still staring at Rusty. “You fight well for a Twoleg pet,”

“Again with the pet?” Tommy muttered.

… “Sit up now, both of you!” … I’ve not seen a kittypet do that before.” Rusty managed to nod his thanks, taken aback by such unexpected praise.

Jake puffed up at hearing a Clan leader praising his son.

Her next words surprised him even more. … We patrol this border frequently, so I have often seen you sitting on your boundary, staring out into the forest. … Bluestar stared at Rusty thoughtfully.

“Wonder what she’s thinking.” Crystal muttered.

“You do seem to have a natural hunting ability. … His [Lionheart] deep meow was respectful but insistent. … Send him home to his Twolegs!”

“Why?” Hattie asked, confused. He had just been hunting a mouse.  What was the big deal?

“Send me home?” … “But I’ve only come here to hunt for a mouse or two. I’m sure there’s enough to go around.”

Jake winced.  He knew from Talltail and Pinestar that was not true.

Bluestar had turned her head to acknowledge Lionheart’s words. Now her gaze snapped back to Rusty. Her blue eyes were blazing with anger.

Smudge squeaked.

“There’s never enough to go around,” she spat. “If you didn’t live such a soft, overfed life, you would know that!”

Nutmeg huffed. “It’s not his fault he was born a housecat!  He’s not to blame for not knowing something at such a young age!”

Rusty was confused by Bluestar’s sudden rage, but one glance at the horrified look on Graypaw’s face was enough to tell him he had spoken too freely. … These were not cozy fireside cats he was dealing with—they were mean, hungry cats who were probably going to finish what Graypaw had started.

“Continue, continue!” Nutmeg yowled.

[steveezekiel]

IT IS BETTER TO WAIT 1

17 EVEN THOUGH THE FIG TREES HAVE NO BLOSSOMS, AND THERE ARE NO GRAPES ON THE VINES; EVEN THOUGH THE OLIVE CROP FAILS, AND THE FIELDS LIE EMPTY AND BARREN; EVEN THOUGH THE FLOCKS DIE IN THE FIELDS, AND THE CATTLE BARNS ARE EMPTY,

18 YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD! I WILL BE JOYFUL IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION!

19 THE SOVEREIGN LORD IS MY STRENGTH! He makes me as SUREFOOTED as A DEER, ABLE to TREAD upon the HEIGHTS. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

Habakkuk 3:17–19 (NLT)

• Prophet Habakkuk said he would rejoice in the LORD, in spite of the problems around.

- The truth is, the promises of God might be delayed, take longer than expected. God will never come late, His Word would surely come to fulfillment, at the right time.

- A believer should not allow what they see to weigh them down in the time of tribulations.

- Patience is needed for God's vision to be realized, or fulfilled. If you are not patience, It may be difficult for you to walk with God.

- Do not consider the physical things, they are temporary. The things you see around, challenging you, are temporary; they would pass away, and are not to stay: "SO WE DON'T LOOK AT THE TROUBLES WE CAN SEE NOW; RATHER, WE FIX OUR GAZE ON THINGS THAT CANNOT BE SEEN. FOR THE THINGS WE SEE NOW WILL SOON BE GONE, BUT THE THINGS WE CANNOT SEE WILL LAST FOREVER" (2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT).

- God wants me to tell you that joy is coming in the morning. The psalmist says, weeping may endure for a night but Joy comes in the morning: "FOR HIS ANGER IS BUT FOR A MOMENT, HIS FAVOUR IS FOR LIFE; WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT, BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING" (Psalm 30:5 NKJV).

- As you are reading this piece, God will cause you to laugh. Your miracle is around the corner. You will sing a new song in the mighty name of Jesus Christ:

" . . . TOMORROW, BY THE TIME THE SUN IS HOT, YOU SHALL HAVE HELP . . . " (1 Samuel 11:10 NKJV).

- You have a colourful future, thus, brace up, and wipe away your tears.

• Having said that, I want you to note those things which God might be calling your attention to correct in your life.

- Some Believers experienced the same problem again and again, because they failed to learn from it, the last time it happened: "What do you conspire against the Lord? HE WILL MAKE AN UTTER END OF IT. AFFLICTION WILL NOT RISE UP A SECOND TIME" (Nahum 1:9 NKJV).

- The Israelites repeatedly had the same problem of basic needs in the wilderness—the problems of water, food, and meat. The issue of water came up about three times (Exodus 15:22-25; 17:1-7; Numbers 20:3-13).

- On each occasion they had some of these problems, they were impatient; they murmured against God and Moses. They were unable to trust God, to meet their needs.

- God was teaching them, through those challenges they were encountering, how to trust in Him. He was teaching them how not to live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of Him—God: "SO HE HUMBLED YOU, FALLOWED YOU TO HUNGER, AND FED YOU WITH MANNA WHICH YOU DID NOT KNOW NOR DID YOUR FATHERS KNOW, THAT HE MIGHT MAKE YOU KNOW THAT MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE; BUT MAN LIVES BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJV).

- He provided the food they were asking for, but with regulations to follow; because He wanted to know and test their obedience—how obedient they were: "THEN THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, “LOOK, I'M GOING TO RAIN DOWN FOOD FROM HEAVEN FOR YOU. EACH DAY THE PEOPLE CAN GO OUT AND PICK UP AS MUCH FOOD AS THEY NEED FOR THAT DAY. I WILL TEST THEM IN THIS TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THEY WILL FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS" (Exodus 16:4 NLT).

• Due to the impatient of the Israelites, there was an occasion which they wanted to stone Moses because of water:

2 THEREFORE THE PEOPLE CONTENDED WITH MOSES, AND SAID, “GIVE US WATER, THAT WE MAY DRINK.” SO MOSES SAID TO THEM, “WHY DO YOU CONTEND WITH ME? WHY DO YOU TEMPT THE LORD?” 3 AND THE PEOPLE THIRSTED THERE FOR WATER, AND THE PEOPLE COMPLAINED AGAINST MOSES, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 SO MOSES CRIED OUT TO THE LORD, SAYING, “WHAT SHALL I DO WITH THIS PEOPLE? THEY ARE ALMOST READY TO STONE ME [Put me to death by stoning]" (Exodus 17:2-4 NKJV).

- They kept on with the negative attitude of impatience, coupled with being recalcitrant and stiff-necked, until God finally decided to end that generation in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22,23,28,29).

- At the time God pronounced His verdict on them that they would not enter the promised land, It was eleven days journey away from the land. God changed the plans and turned the journey into forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Numbers 14:32-35).

- They failed to learn from their past mistakes, they were used to murmurings and complaints, whenever they needed something from God.

- Murmuring is an offshoot of, or it is caused or birthed by, impatience and Unbelief. God is just and not a wicked God. He will not abandon you at the time of distress or predicament, neither would He allow you to go through the challenges you have not been trained or equipped or engraced to handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).

TO BE CONTINUED

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

- Should there be any ailment in your body, I declare your healing now in Jesus' name.

- Hold of sicknesses is broken now in Jesus' name. And the Affliction will never rise again in Jesus' name.

Peace!

STEPS TO SALVATION

• Take notice of this:

IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).

a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).

b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).

c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

- If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!

[fleurcareil]

1st June 2024: the journey continues!

Over 6 months have passed since my last blog, but today feels a good day to finally start writing again! The sun is shining, and I'm sitting in the grass overlooking a pretty lake... (where am I?!? 🙃)

Most importantly, today it's been exactly a year that I drove out of my home in Burlington, hitting the road on a new journey!

Many things happened in the last year; the remaining of 2023 as I had planned, and then the last few months deviated from plan but in a good way. I'm kind of in between lives at the moment, which is surprisingly more comfortable than I had thought, although hopefully soon I will actually be able to move forward! Please everyone, cross your fingers for me. 🤞🤞🤞

As I wrote in my last blog, I left Toronto at the end of September last year to spend 4 months in Europe(ish) with I family and friends. After that amazing cross-Canada road trip, I was ready to calm down a bit!

I'll try to write a few more blogs providing more details on what I did exactly, but in short it felt really good to take the time to catch up with people I care about. Instead of constantly rushing (although I still had quite a busy schedule!), it was great to spend sufficient time somewhere so that we could simply hang out on the couch for hours catching up rather that feeling obliged to run around. Regardless, Europe being Europe, I still ended up doing a bit of sightseeing in between the cups of tea, but overall, it definitely felt like I could relax!

I spent most of October and November in the south of France at my parents in lovely Provence 🥰. Perfect weather and blue skies meant that despite most of the time simply following along with my parents' daily routine, I did some beautiful hikes in the countryside, where vineyards and olive trees abound!

It's amazing how easily days are spent doing crosswords, reading, chores and going for a little hike, all whilst being most of the day outside in the garden or in & about town! 🤗

In this period, I also went for ten days to Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman visiting my sister, her husband and their two children 😍. We typically see each other in the summer in the Netherlands so it was great to be part of their life there for a bit! End of October, it was still hot 🔥 over 30 degrees, so I was really struggling to do much at all... I did teach my nephew the basics of rollerblading, went a few times to the beach (scorching if not in the water!) and just enjoyed spending time with them, at home or in the playground. Of course it went by way too fast, although at the same time "tante Fleur" must admit she was a bit relieved to leave the heat and busyness behind! 🤪

At the end of November, I switched my home base to our flat in the Netherlands, where it turned out to be muuuch colder, especially as the heating didn't work for a week 😫.

First thing on the agenda was winter camping in a yurt with 6 of my oldest friends from university. After a summer of camping, it hadn't been my idea, however despite the snow (!) and rain, we had a blast and basically chatted non-stop for two days straight... We know each other close to 30 years so that means that all topics go, and the laughter, tears and wine flowed easily! 😂

On weekdays, I caught up with other good friends from university and work, some of which I hadn't seen in 14 years since I came to Canada, very special indeed to reconnect and still feel the same friendship after so long! It also included a fun visit to modern art museum Voorlinden, where you could "swim" underwater! 🤣

The following week I embarked on a mini-European tour, visiting friends & my brother for 3 days each in Copenhagen, Paris, London and tiny Everdon (population 356) in central England.

I was toured through Copenhagen by my dear friend Jamie who I used to work with at CT... in a cargo bicycle! The best thing ever, as I kept warm under a blanket while he was narrating the sights and manoeuvring us through the busy streets. Mulled wine at the Tivoli Gardens, wine tasting at a distributor under some obscure bridge and wine at home... you get the picture! 🤩 Oh and amazing food as he & his partner are amazing cooks!

Next stop was at my brother in Paris where we visited the art collection at the Bourse de Commerce... the art was a bit too modern to our taste, but the building is impressive and lunch on the top floor was sublime! Staying at foodies (in France! 😃), it meant great food and company all through...

Then, I took for the first time the Eurostar train underneath the Channel... so much more comfortable than the plane for the short distance! My friend Hélène has converted into a true Londoner, so our trips consisted of walking the dog at sunrise in Regent's Park (whilst the chimps in the nearby zoo were waking up!), lunch at a fancy yet homey private club and a visit to the V&A, one of my favourite museums in the city. 😊

Last but not least, I took the train a few hours north to the hamlet of Everdon where Tracey has set up shop with chickens and rabbits in the garden 😀. We ended up making appetizers all day for a party, which was hilarious as we both had no clue what we were doing (ganache truffles anyone??) but the guests left all merry so that turned out OK. Next day, we walked out our headache among the sheep in the very English rolling countryside and ended the evening in the local pub... perfect ending to a great trip! 💖

Back in the Netherlands, Christmas came around quickly so I spent the last few weeks of the year quietly at home, beating my parents and brother-in-law at bowling 🙃 and trying to get outside as much as possible if it wasn't pouring. New Year's Eve is very special as the air explodes with 100's of fireworks (until you can't see them anymore from the smoke) so that marked the end of 2023! 🎉

Meanwhile, I had found out that I couldn't apply for the Chilean visa without going back to Toronto to get my paperwork legalized, so although I didn't really want to, by mid-January I was squarely back into the deep freeze! 🥶 The whole application process is a game of waiting and patience, so that meant I had plenty of time to do many things, including seeing lots of friends, dog-sitting, swimming, hiking, and even completing a course in teaching English!

Some of the highlights include a hike to a frozen waterfall and a visit to a Keith Haring exhibit at the AGO, one of my fav artists in a fab museum!! 😍

Capping of my 3-month stay in the GTA was the spectacular solar eclipse combined with lots of tasty Indian food at my home-away from-home at Navneet & Arpita 😘😘

Celebrating my birthday in New Orleans at my Dutch besties was the best gift I gave myself; with a jazz festival where I collected beer money from strangers, a cool art garden, loving friends, gorgeous weather and a Dollie Parton drag show, what is there not to love?!?🤗

Running a bit out of steam now 😅, I came to Mont Tremblant in Quebec 6 weeks ago to stay at my dear friends Ivan & Cynthia and their larger family (we were 9 on the first day!), where I am thoroughly enjoying being surrounded by nature. I currently teach some 18 hours a week to mostly Koreans (that deserves a separate blog to explain!) while waiting for my visa to come through... again: 🤞🤞🤞

All in all, things are as good as they get; I remain hopeful about going to Chile later this year and in the meantime, I'm having a very different but fulfilling life... I keep learning (things about myself, how to be a coach, new trails) while meeting wonderful and kind people!

Hug, until next time 🌻🌸🌼